Kalos Academy: Love & Friendship
by CharismaticBunn
Summary: AU. President of the Student Council, Serena Yvonne has attended Kalos Academy, an all girls' school for two years. Going into her third year, Serena is finally given the chance to give it another go at becoming Kalos Queen. Aside from that, Kalos Academy has welcomed boys into the school, reuniting her with a few childhood friends - a few which seem to take interest in her.
1. Kalos Academy

**Kalos Academy: Love & Friendship**

 **Genre:** Romance, Friendship, Drama

 **Disclaimer:** I've never put a disclaimer on one of my stories before, but just in case, I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

 **Summary:** AU. President of the Student Council, Serena Yvonne has attended Kalos Academy, an all girls' school for two years. Going into her third year, Serena is finally given the chance to give it another go at becoming Kalos Queen. Aside from that, Kalos Academy has welcomed boys into the school, reuniting her with a few childhood friends - a few which seem to take interest in her. Due to her busy schedule, love has become the last thing on her mind.

* * *

 **Chapter One: Kalos Academy**

Fifteen-year-old, Serena Yvonne flipped through the pages of the brochure that was used for advertising the school. She's been attending the school for two years now, and today marked the first day of her third year.

Her eyes glossed over the pictures of the school before she began skimming the information that was printed on the page. She always seemed to flip through the pages of the school brochure whenever she was in the waiting room leading her to Palermo's office, the Head of the Performer's Faculty. It just seemed to amuse her. It reminded her of the time when she received her very own pamphlet in the mail, and how she rushed up to her bedroom to fill out the application. She's been dying to attend the school ever since she found out that there was a Performer's program being led by the one and only, Palermo. Thousands of kids her age apply to the school every year, but only fifty seats are available at a time. It just amazed her as to how she was one of those fifty students. Out of the thousand applicants, she was chosen, and looking at the brochure reminded her of how lucky she was.

This time, though, it wasn't the fact that she was a lucky girl that amused her. It was the fact that the brochure was revised and reprinted the year before. Not just because they had to add new pictures of the new buildings, but because of the words that were printed on the pages. The word 'girls' or 'female' simply had to be changed to words like 'students', or 'his/her'. For the longest time, Kalos Academy was a school for girls only. After a heated debate between the members of the Board of Education, it has been decided that boys were now welcome to the school.

"Serena?" The lady behind the counter called out, staring directly at the honey blonde who sat with her legs crossed in her seat.

The young teen cleared her throat, and sat up straight. "Yes?" She glanced over to her left, her eyes meeting Palermo's assistant, Miss Anderson.

"Palermo will see you know."

"Thank you."

Serena stood up from her seat before bowing her head at Miss Anderson. She smiled at the young assistant before walking over to the door labelled 'Palermo: Head of Performer's Faculty'. Turning the knob, the honey blonde slightly opened the door, and peeked her head into the room.

"Serena," said Palermo who stood at the end of the room, vacantly staring out the window. "Must you always peek your head through the door? I see you almost everyday, and you've been receiving special training from me for two years. I would like to think that you're comfortable with me by now."

"S-Sorry," she apologized before stumbling into the room.

Serena began smoothing down the non existent wrinkles on her school uniform skirt before taking a seat in one of the two chairs that were placed across Palermo's desk. "Why did you want to see me?" She asked, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. No matter how hard she tried to act comfortably around the woman in front of her, it just never seemed to work. Palermo was a rather intimidating woman who always had a stern look plastered on her face. Even when she found something funny, no one could get a grin out of her.

"I wanted to talk to you about the Showcases happening this year," said Palermo who discontinued her gaze out the window. Crossing her arms behind her back, Palermo averted her gaze downwards before circling around her desk.

Serena groaned. "Yes, I know. I won't beg to take part in them this year. I promise. I'll only take part in them when you think I'm ready," she said as if she were practicing this short sentence for hours. Ever since she became a student under Palermo's supervision, she was not allowed to try out for Kalos Queen until Palermo deemed her fit to try out again.

"I think you're ready."

"I wasn't begging!" Serena rolled her eyes, "I just said- Wait, what?" Serena gripped onto the edge of the armrest's as she straightened her spine. "You- you think I'm ready?"

With a straight face, Palermo simply nodded before responding with a yes. "I will PokeMail you the details as soon as I have more information about where you can obtain Princess Keys." She circled around the desk once more before, once again, looking out the window.

"Really?!" Serena shot up from her seat, clasping her hands together with joy. "You won't regret it! This time I will win for sure!"

"Times have changed, Serena. Don't expect too much." Palermo offered her vaguely piece of advice. Something she seemed to do everytime a student stepped foot into her office. "Now, as school president, I think you have a few duties to take care of."

"Huh?" Serena's eyes blinked as she stopped herself from doing a victory dance. Without having to say a word, Serena understood as to why Palermo was so eager to stare out the window after giving her the good news. Maneuvering herself around the desk, Serena peeked through the slightly opened blinds to see a crowd of students, both boys and girls, crowding around the entrance of the school. "The boys have arrived!?"

The gathering of students began to grow before her eyes. Her mind began to fill with every possible scenario that could have led to the gathering of her schoolmates. What if the boys already hated the school? What if the two genders couldn't get along? As school president, it was her job to make sure that the change would run smoothly. The rest of the teachers had their own problems to deal with.

The honey blonde furrowed her eyebrows in worry. Her first day back, and her stress meter was already close to spiraling. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before bolting out of the room, leaving Palermo without a goodbye.

* * *

"What's going on!?" The anxious president squeezed through a few female students before coming close to a couple, familiar faces that stood at the back of the circle.

"Hey Serena!" The bluenette from Sinnoh stretched her arm above her head, waving at the honey blonde. "Over here!"

Maneuvering herself around a few girls and boys Serena came to a halt in front of Dawn and May, two students who excelled in the Coordinating program.

"Hey Serena," teased Dawn, winking at the flustered president. "Already attending to your duties I see."

"What's going on? Why are they crowding around the entrance?" Serena asked, cutting to the chase. She then tiptoed, bobbing her head from left to right. She was trying to make out the figures who stood at the center of the circle – the newly, possible troublemakers who were preventing the school day from starting.

"I heard that it's a Champion," said May. "But I could be wrong."

"Maybe it's Alain." Dawn winked, causing Serena's face to flush red. She had something special with the Kalosian Champion, Alain, once upon a time. Of course, that's a whole different story. Serena was blessed to have Alain in her life though. He was a great friend to her, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I hope it's Cynthia," said May, her eyes twinkling.

"Why would Cynthia attend the school?" The bluenette turned to look at her friend. "She's a little too old to be a student now."

"Well, maybe she's a teacher."

Serena rolled her eyes before she rubbed her temples with her index fingers. She didn't have the time to listen to her friends bicker. Wouldn't the registration office inform her if a Champion were attending the school? Even if it was Alain, it shouldn't be such a big deal. Being Champion of Kalos, he often visited the school to attend important meetings. After awhile, the swooning stopped, and everyone treated him like a regular person.

The honey blonde shook her head before making a fist. She was determined to disperse the crowd before the sound of the first bell.

"Will you please let me through?" She asked kindly to the group of girls who stood at the back of the circle.

Knowing Serena's title, the group of girls moved aside, allowing her to squeeze through a few people. As soon as the other female students saw her, they tried their best to make room in a space that was clearly lacking a lot of it. This would have been a breeze for her if the crowd consisted of only girls. None of the boys were aware of who she was. After all, they were all new.

As she continued maneuvering herself around the crowd, she could hear the shouts of many boys, dispersed throughout the area, encouraging whoever was in the center of the circle to have a battle. Serena shook her head at the request that was being made. Were the boys already picking random students to battle with? They should have been told that battles could take place during break time in the battle arena. With a few pushes, Serena danced through the crowd, almost reaching her destination.

A little out of breath, the honey blonde stumbled to the front, almost losing her footing. As she stood up straight to recompose herself, the first thing she saw was Alain, standing at the right side of the circle, one of his fingers brushing up against the leather strap of his utility belt. After years of watching Alain as a Champion, Serena knew that he was ready to engage in a battle whenever he brushed his finger against the strap of his utility belt.

"You know, I've been dying to have a battle since I've arrived here in Kalos!"

Serena heard another strangely, familiar voice coming from the opposite end of where Alain stood. Before whipping her head around, Serena could feel her heart jolt in a certain way that she hasn't felt in years. Maybe it was because she knew whose voice that belonged to without even having to take a look.

"Pika Pikachu!"

The first thing Serena saw upon turning her gaze was the electric mouse Pokemon, jumping up into the air before landing on the ground. Her eyes moved upwards before resting upon the facial features of the childhood friend she hasn't seen in years. With broader shoulders, and an immense increase in height, the boy looked like a upgraded version of his younger self, with a much more mature looking face.

"Ash...?" She mumbled to herself as she instinctively reached towards her chest where a special blue ribbon once laid.

She took a couple minutes to process the image of the boy who only stood a few feet away from her.

"Kalos Champion versus the Alola Champion? This is something I have to see!"

The random comment from the crowd broke Serena from her reminiscent feelings. Serena shook her head before clenching her fists. She took a deep breath before marching into the center of the circle, a stern expression on her face.

"This is your school president speaking!" Serena yelled from the top of her lungs. She was naturally, a quiet girl, and it took every ounce of energy in her body to talk loud enough for people to notice or listen to her.

"Get out of the circle!" A boy yelled out, unpleased.

"I will happily remove myself from this circle if you continue walking to your classes!" The honey blonde yelled out. She watched as most of the girls pick up their bags from the ground, and walk away from the scene. The guys on the other hand were persistent to see a battle between two Champions of the Pokemon world

"Yeah, I want to see these two battle! I'll go to class after this!"

"No, she's right," said Ash, walking towards the honey blonde. "We should all get to out classes. We don't want to get in trouble." The raven haired Champion placed a hand on Serena's shoulder, causing her to slightly flinch.

She watched as the disappointed students disperse from the area, grabbing their belongings in the process. She sighed. She didn't want to disappoint the boys on their first day of classes. She especially didn't want them already hating her as the school council president.

Serena quickly scanned the area before noticing a megaphone lying on the ground next to a group of cheerleaders who were hanging around the school fountain. The honey blonde ran towards the fountain, grabbed the megaphone, and stood on the bench next to it.

She lifted the megaphone to her mouth, turning it on in the process. "If you'd like to see your Kalos Champion battle against the Alola Champion, please attend the assembly taking place this afternoon!"

* * *

 **Note:** Hello everyone! I have decided to do my own take on a Pokemon school fic. If any of you guys enjoy reading those kind of fics, then maybe stick around?

Now, just in case anyone is wondering the ages. **Everyone is set to be around 15-18 years old.** The first few chapters will be a tad bit boring because of introductions and such. This would be taking place after the Kalos League, except in my version the Kalos League has taken place when they were twelve years old. Of course, because this is an AU, it loosely follows events that have happened in the anime.

If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to leave a **REVIEW** or **PM** me. :) Thank you!


	2. Old & New Bonds

**EDITTED:** I've changed the ending of this chapter on September 8, 2016.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Old & New Bonds**

Serena paced herself along the narrow hallway. Her fingers fumbled between the golden button that enclosed her maroon colored blazer. It was only the first day of school and her mind was already jumbled with tasks that she had yet to complete. The week before, she received a newsletter detailing a few, near future events in which she had to lead with the preparations. Not only that, she had to train extra hard to obtain her princess keys while maintaining the perfect grades to please her mother – the woman who wanted to follow in her footsteps to become a Rhyhorn Racer.

The worried teen turned on her heel before retracing her steps. She took a deep breath as an attempt to calm her nerves from her future endeavors. Right now, she had to focus on telling Headmaster Redwood about the minor change she made to the school assembly happening in the afternoon – the battle between the Kalos and Alola Champion. Headmaster Redwood already had a lot on his plate, Serena didn't want to bother him at all for the school year, but she had too.

"Are you that nervous because he's here?" asked Alain who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed behind his head. He had his eyes closed, and looked very much relaxed. "I thought you were over him."

Serena stopped in her steps, taking a moment to process Alain's comment. She slightly turned her head to look at the door labelled 'Professor Sycamore's Office'. She could hear a few garbled voices coming from behind that door, and one of the voices belonged to Ash, her very first crush. Suddenly, Serena's face turned a deep shade of red. "Wha-WHAT!" She stammered, slightly angered by Alain's accusation. "I wasn't thinking about him at all! I was thinking about what I was going to say to Headmaster Redwood." She flailed her arms out in the air.

A smirk formed upon the Kalosian Champion's face. He slightly opened one of his eyes to witness his friends behavior. "Then why is your face so red?" He teased.

"It's not!" Serena lifted her hands and pressed her palms against her cheeks. "It's from the stress!"

Alain chuckled before standing up straight and resting his arms against his sides. "You were pretty sad when he left, Serena," he said in a serious tone. "Don't tell me that all that effort has gone to waste." He paused before hesitating to speak again. "Don't tell me that my effort went to waste."

Serena shrugged, unable to meet Alain's eyes. She dated Alain for two months in the past. Not because she liked him, but simply because he offered to be her distraction from the raven haired Champion, the Champion she could not get over after his departure to the Alola region. She initially rejected his offer, but he was pretty adamant on getting Ash out of her mind. She supposed it was some kind of thanks for calming him down after the death of his younger sister, Mairin.

Still, she found it unbelievable that she kept the so called relationship with Alain going for that long. If she could change the past, she would have ended it sooner. She didn't want to be in a relationship that was being kept together by her own selfish reason of looking for a distraction from life. Without the experience though, she wouldn't have gotten to know Alain, and her heart would probably still crave for Ash's attention. Somehow, she cherished the so called relationship and even considered it something special.

"That's all in the past!" Serena crossed her arms over her chest. "How about you?" She shrugged. "You haven't properly battled in two years! How are you going to battle Ash in your condition?!"

Mairin's death has taken quite a toll on him, and he hasn't been able to fulfill his duties as Kalos Champion since then. Instead, an AlainBot, created by Clemont has been taking his place, which has angered quite a number of trainers who were able to defeat the Elite Four. He was currently facing the council's suggestion of stripping him of his title and reinstating the former Champion, Diantha as Kalos Champion. Alain simply told the council to do whatever they wished if a trainer were able to defeat AlainBot, which has yet to happen.

"I told you." He scoffed before placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine when you're there."

Shaken by his words, Serena's heart slightly fluttered. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink before she raised one of her hands, intending to ask him what he meant. He always seemed to say things like that whenever he was caught in some kind of complication. It confused her, but Alain was a complex individual. She supposed that it was because she was the one who helped him cope with Mairin's death, and he just happened to link her as some kind of savior whenever he was feeling troubled.

"Hey guys!" Ash slung the door wide open, startling the two from their serious conversation. He began sorting out a few documents in his hands. "Professor Sycamore just gave me my schedule. I'm so excited to get started! Aren't you, Pikachu?" Ash glanced over to his left shoulder to look at his electric mouse Pokemon.

"Pi! Pikachu!"

"He even informed me of the battle arena, so I don't get rusty. Do you think you guys can show me the arena? I want to check it out!"

"There are more important things you have to do," said Serena. "You have to get your uniform, get settled into your room, and find all your classes... If you do all that, then I'll show you the arena!"

"Aww man." Ash sighed. "I forgot that you were the one who always kept me on schedule. If only you came with me to Alola, I would have finished Professor Kukui's requests much faster."

"Well now you're attending school, and I'm going to make sure that you do all your homework before battling all the students."

Ash chuckled. "It's good to have you back in my life, Serena."

Alain took his hand off of Serena's shoulder and let out a quiet sigh. He plunged his hands into his pockets as he turned his attention to the Alolan Champion. "I'm going to get my own schedule. I was told to pick it up from Brock, one of the Pokemon Breeder instructors."

"Brock?" asked Ash, tapping his finger on his chin. "Why don't we go together? I haven't seen Brock in ages. He's one of my closest friends from Kanto!"

"I'm good." Alain shrugged before walking away.

Serena watched as the ebony haired Champion placed a hand on the knob leading outside of the building. She was very much concerned about her friend, and wanted to make sure that he was going to be okay. Why couldn't he just open up to her more?

As if he read Serena's mind, Alain slightly turned his head, giving the pair a once over. "I'm looking forward to the battle." He then focused his attention on the honey blonde, a small grin forming on his face. "Don't worry about Headmaster Redwood. I'll inform him of the change," he said before exiting the building.

* * *

"This place is ginormous!" The Alolan Champion marveled as his eyes darted from left to right.

Serena tucked a tress of hair behind her ear before raising her hand to her face. Using her fingers, she slightly covered her mouth as she stifled a giggle. So far, Ash seemed to be the same bright, positive boy she knew from when she was a kid. He seemed to have slightly matured, given the fact that he insisted on postponing the battle that he was about to have with Alain at the school entrance. The Ash from her childhood would engage in a battle no matter what the circumstance. Of course, he only seemed interested in postponing it after Serena interrupted the whole thing from happening. Still, the vibe he was giving off made Serena feel like Ash really did grow up.

"Why did you want to attend this school, Ash?" asked Serena with curiosity.

"Well, you see." The raven haired Champion began rubbing his nape. "I have a lot of friends who attend the school. They all PokeMailed me their experiences and I found it awesome how they were all becoming friends with one another." He threw a fist in the air to show his excitement, making Serena think about the friendship she created with Dawn and May. "They made me want to experience life as a student. Brock then PokeMailed me a newsletter about how boys were being welcomed into the school, and I applied right away. In only a few days, I got an acceptance letter, and I couldn't wait to become a student!"

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Ohh." Serena smiled as Ash's enthusiasm filled her with energy. "That's great!"

"But that's not all," continued Ash. "You see, I may be a Champion, but I still feel as if I'm not a Pokemon Master. I came to this school to learn Pokemon from a different perspective. Not just from me catching them, or training them, or watching them in the wild. I want to learn about what makes them different, why they function a certain way... I want to learn everything, and only then, I will consider myself a Pokemon Master."

Serena slightly gaped before glancing over at Ash who was busily examining his school map, looking up every so often to take in his new surroundings. She smiled to herself, thinking about Ash's never ending amount of enthusiasm and undying determination to become a Pokemon Master. It was making her feel extra determined to become Kalos Queen.

The honey blonde pulled on the metal handle of the glass door that led to one of the newly, remodeled dorms. She hasn't set foot in the building since they decided to change the place to suit the boys. "We'll just drop off your things, and I'll show you the battle arena."

"Thanks, Serena! You're the greatest!" Ash replied with a huge smile plastered across his face. He extended his free arm towards the girl, and draped it around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "My room is 7B."

"7B?" she questioned, eying his hand that was resting a little off her shoulder. He's never made any kind of physical contact like that when they were kids.

"Yeah, what of it?" The two took a turn around the corridor.

"That was my room during my first two years here, until they decided to remodel it for the boys."

"Really? That's so cool! Knowing you, the room is most likely in great condition."

The two finally came to a stop in front of the room that had '7B' painted in large black letters beside the door. As Ash's hand plunged into his pocket in search of the key to his room, Serena's eyes rested upon the two black plaque's that were hanging on the other side of the door. In bold, white letters Ash Ketchum was engraved in the top plaque, and below it was the name Gary Oak.

Serena's eyes widened at the name that was engraved in the material. Gary Oak? She thought to herself. Gary was the boy who bullied her during her time at Professor Oak's Summer Camp. She thought that that was going to be the last time she was ever going to see him. She was wrong. About six months ago, Gary came to the academy to see what the place had to offer, and Dawn somehow got into a quarrel with him. The two ensued in a battle and Gary somehow managed to get Dawn to bet that if she lost, Serena would have to go on a date with him. She accepted without any hesitation (given the fact that her pride wasn't on the line). After Dawn's lost, her and May hid Serena for the remainder of his visit, and she didn't have to deal with his persistence... until now.

"Did you want to come in?" asked Ash as he pushed the key into the keyhole. "Did you want to see what your room looks like now?"

"Uhmm..." Serena sounded nervously as she heard the click of the door, followed by a creak.

"Hey Ketchum!" The familiar voice sounded out. "Late as ever. I already got all my stuff set up."

"Why do you have to be my roommate?" Ash groaned as he kicked one of his duffel bags into the room.

"Because I'm awesome."

Ash sighed before turning his attention to the honey blonde who hid behind the door, trying to shield herself from the nuisance that resided in that room. "Did you want to come in?" He asked once more. "Maybe you can help me unpack."

"I'm sorry, Ash." She replied in a high pitched tone. "I-I have a few things to do. I have to talk to Headmaster Redwood."

"I thought that Alain was going to take care of that." A frown began to form upon Ash's face. "I haven't seen you in years. I thought this would be a nice time to catch up."

"Pika..." The electric mouse Pokemon flopped its ears, sharing its sad feelings with its trainer.

"Who are you talking too?" Gary's voice sounded.

Serena could hear the footsteps of the brown haired nuisance nearing the door. "We have all year to catch up, Ash!" She said in a quick tone. The second Gary lays his eyes on her, he would bring back that stupid bet, and force her to go out with him.

"I guess you're right." Ash said as he rubbed his cheek with his index finger. "I'll see you later then."

Without giving Ash the chance to say goodbye, Serena turned on her heel and bolted out of the building.

* * *

Out of breath, Serena heaved as she trudged up the cemented staircase that led to her own dorm. She blew on a tress of hair that was sticking to a bead of sweat that came from her forehead. She forgot that Gary was going to attend the academy. A shiver creeped down her spine as Gary's final words replayed in her head when she hid behind a bush as May and Dawn sent him off. You're going to be mine, Serena!

Serena shook off the unwanted chills as she entered the building. She really wanted to see what one of the newly renovated rooms looked like. Her and her former roommate, Miette used to stuff notes containing inspiring quotes or secrets in hidden spots of the room to see if they were able to find them sometime in the future. When news came out that their dorm was going to be renovated, they shared the same unhappy expression. They hid over a hundred notes in that room. It was a shame if they weren't going to be able to find a single message.

This was going to be the first semester where Miette wasn't going to be her roommate. It felt kind of weird, but Palermo wanted everyone in the Performer's program to become good friends, so she issued a change in roommate every semester.

With her key already in her hand, Serena turned a corner before reaching her room. She looked up at her name that was engraved in the purple plaque located by the door. Under her name was supposed to be the name of her roommate, but as of now, it was still a blank, purple plaque.

That's weird... Serena thought as she pressed her ear up against the door. She could hear the trickle of water coming from the shower head in the bathroom. She stood up straight, shrugging her shoulder as she shoved the key into the keyhole. She supposed that the plaque just wasn't hung up yet. Not like it mattered too much. She was just curious to see who she was rooming with for the semester.

Serena slowly opened the door to see what was once an empty side of the room, was now a fully furnished area that was almost entirely covered in pink. There were still a few suitcases, presumably containing clothes, at the foot of the bed. Other than the wardrobe, it seemed that her roommate has already decorated her side of the room, and covered her mattress.

Looking at that side of the room, a sense of nostalgia overcame the honey blonde. As her eyes glossed over the floral prints on the duvet cover, she swore that it looked all to familiar. It wasn't the print that was catching her attention, it was her stain of purple nail polish at the center of the one of the flowers. There was only one person who shared the memory of that purple stain.

Serena shook her head, thinking that it was possibly a coincidence. She then walked to her side of the room and sat at the edge of her bed, facing her roommates side of the room. She looked up at the portraits that were hanging above her roommates desk. They all contained a pink background with a giant black ribbon glued to each one. Each ribbon was tied with different textured black fabrics, and sequins. There was only one person who just absolutely adored black ribbons with a pink background.

The honey blonde's eyes continued to eye each object on her roommates side. Hanging on a hand shaped jewelry stand at the edge of her desk was a bracelet that confirmed Serena's guess. She stood up from her bed, and walked over to her roommates desk. She squinted her eyes before reaching for the chain linked bracelet that contained a few trinkets on it. She examined each trinket, some looking familiar, and others not. She remember that it was a gift given by Alain just over a year ago.

"Uhm... Excuse me...?" Serena could hear a voice call out from behind her.

The honey blonde whipped around with the bracelet in her hand before her eyes settled, and laid upon the figure in front of her. It was Shauna.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi guys. Sorry for the late update. Been very busy. I'd say that this chapter isn't as boring, and that most of the main characters and love interests have been introduced. That being said, the main kind of pairs happening would be AlainxSerena, AshxSerena, GaryxSerena. That doesn't mean that she will be involved with all three, but rather, all three will have a crush on her. There will be other pairings, but Serena is the main focus.

Also, my laptop broke, so the editing might not be as great. Sorry about that.

Anywho I'd like to give thanks to **Frostburn243, MoonfallExpress, espeon44, Bluejack222, FantasyLover88, Guest, LittleLitten, The Crazed Shipper, Red G, PillsburyDB11** for giving their thoughts with the first chapter.

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to PM or REVIEW.


	3. Boys Will Be Boys

**NOTE:** This is a very important note, so pay attention! I've initially had Lily be Serena's roommate for the semester, but it didn't work out with I had in mind, so I changed her roommate to Shauna. I've edited that part of Chapter 2 if you already read it. I just wanted you guys to know. :) Thanks so much!

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Boys Will Be Boys**

Her eyes widened as she looked into the green eyes of the brunette standing in front of her. She hasn't seen Shauna ever since she started attending Kalos Academy. Due to unknown reasons, Shauna broke their bond as friends and ignored Serena ever since. Serena eventually gave up on trying to figure out what went wrong, and moved on with her life. From time to time though, she always wondered what went wrong with their friendship.

Serena's fingers slightly trembled in her grip before the material of the bracelet slipped from her fingertips. Her eyes widened much more as she watched the bracelet hit the floorboards beneath her.

"What are you doing...?" Shauna questioned as Serena bent over to pick up the bracelet.

"I-I.." Serena snatched the bracelet from the floor before returning it to the index finger of the jewelry stand. "I didn't mean too... I just..."

Knock Knock.

The two girls turned their attention to the door.

"Serena?" Alain's voice could be heard, followed by a few more consecutive knocks. "I talked to the headmaster. You're good to go."

"Coming!" Serena called out. As she walked towards the door, she glanced over at Shauna who let out a scoff before looking over to the ground.

The honey blonde opened the door to find Alain leaning against the wall on her right. He stood up straight at the sight of Serena before sneaking a quick glance at Shauna who stood there quietly.

"Your roommate is Shauna?" Alain asked as Serena shut the door behind her. "Won't that be fun?" He commented sarcastically as he sauntered beside Serena with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Alain!" Serena called out in a panicked manner. She wasn't feeling as calm as the boy who was walking with his eyes closed. "What am I going to do? Shauna hates me!" She freaked out.

Her past with Shauna suddenly began to scroll through her mind like a miniature slideshow. It went from best friends to enemies in a matter of seconds. She had no clue as to what caused their friendship to break off like that.

"Just relax, will you?" He slightly opened one of his eyes to see the honey blonde's arms flailing around the area. He scoffed before grabbing ahold one of her wrist. "You're going to hurt someone." He stopped in the middle of the hall before pulling Serena towards him to grab ahold of her other arm.

The honey blonde looked down to the two hands that were holding onto her wrists. She then looked up to Alain who was staring at her with serious eyes. "Serena," he said, capturing her attention. "Whatever happened between you and Shauna was over two years ago. I'm sure she's over it." Alain finished off before resuming his walk down the hall.

"You obviously don't know girls very well!" Serena said out loud before picking up her pace to catch up to him.

"I know you very well," he said. "And I know you're going to be fine."

His words caused her to stop once again. With downcast eyes, Serena's lips curled downwards into a frown. She wasn't sure as to how she was going to deal with Shauna being her roommate for the next five months. There was absolutely no way that she was going to deal with it. Not since when Shauna gave her the cold shoulder and got a few good friends like Trevor and Tierno to turn against her. What did she do to even cause that?

"Serena..." The honey blonde looked up at the Kalos Champion who stopped just a few feet in front of her. "Knowing you, you would take this chance to become her friend again." She watched as Alain's lips slowly curved upwards into a small smile. He wasn't usually one to smile, but Serena cherished it whenever he did.

"You're right!" She pumped a fist up into the air before furrowing her eyebrows in determination. "I should try to befriend her again."

"That's the Serena I know." Alain nodded before resuming his walk.

* * *

Serena stood backstage of the auditorium as Headmaster Redwood continued with addressing the rules and expectations to the students. It was the same boring speech that Serena could probably recite without any cue cards if she had too.

Standing with her backstage was Ash and Alain who were waiting for Headmaster Redwood to announce the battle going on between the two Champions. Because of her run in with Shauna, she completely forgot about Alain's inability to battle. At one point in a battle he always seemed to experience some kind of flashback that related to Mairin's death, and in the end he would break down, and would no longer be able to continue with the battle.

The honey blonde raised a finger to her mouth before chewing on one of her fingernails. Why did Alain have to accept the battle? What did he have to prove? Why couldn't he just continue with his treatment with Professor Sycamore instead of constantly disobeying him?

"Serena, are you okay?" Ash asked, removing his attention from his electric mouse pokemon. "Is something bothering you?" He blinked his eyes several times, trying to get ahold of the fact that Serena was chewing on her fingertips.

Serena pulled her hand away from her face, ready to answer his questions, but was interrupted by Alain who was leaning against the wall, patiently waiting for the Headmaster's announcement of their battle.

"Don't worry about her," Alain interrupted, garnering Ash's attention. "She does that whenever she's nervous."

"Nervous?" Ash asked before looking back to Serena. "Since when did biting your nails help with your nervousness?"

Serena opened her mouth once again to answer his question, but once again, she was stopped by Alain.

"Since she took a beauty class involving fake nails. She hated them so much that she would end up trying to bite them off. Eventually, she somehow conditioned herself to chew on them whenever she got nervous."

"Wow..." Ash raised his hand to his nape and began rubbing it. "You two must be really close, huh?" He looked off to the side with a slight frown on his face.

"Well... come to think of it..." Serena placed an index finger on her lip as her mind began to ponder over her friendship with Alain. "I think I see him almost everyday... Half of the time, I don't even want to see him. He's just there."

"Thanks." Alain deadpanned upon hearing Serena's comment about their friendship.

Serena giggled before turning to look at him. "I'm just kidding." She laughed. "I enjoy seeing you everyday, and you know it!" She winked before giving him a thumbs up.

The Kalos Champion scoffed before looking away, and closing his eyes. He once again began resuming his ignorance of the others around him while waiting for Headmaster Redwood's announcement.

"You're so lucky to have found someone that knows a lot about you," Ash commented as Serena turned her attention back to him.

"I guess so..." Serena smiled. "But I'm sure that you met a few friends that know everything about you too."

"Yeah." Ash smiled back, lopsidedly. "But none of them are yo-"

"Everyone! Please welcome your two regional Champions, Ash and Alain!" Headmaster Redwood's voice resounded throughout the auditorium, followed by a cheering crowd who was already chanting the name of the person they wanted to win.

"That's my cue," said Ash before looking over to Pikachu. "Excited, buddy?"

"Pikachu!"

Serena watched as Ash moved the curtains to the side to enter the stage. The cheers of the students grew louder at the sight of the Alolan Champion taking his place on the stage. The honey blonde then watched as Alain walked ahead of her, walking up the set of stairs to take his own place on the stage.

"Wait!" Serena pestered, grabbing onto his arm. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Well, I can't back down now, can I?" Alain pointed out before shaking Serena's hand away from his arm.

She continued to watch Alain head up the small plight of stairs. "If something goes wrong, I'm closing the curtains!"

"Whatever you want." He waved his hand without turning back to look at her.

The honey blonde clenched her fists as the cheers of crowd grew much louder, before finally settling down at Headmaster Redwood's command. As she exited backstage through another door, Serena could hear Master Redwood announce the rules for the match. She continued to scuttle down a set of stairs before walking in front of the stage where a bunch of students stood up in excitement for the battle.

"Who are you going to cheer for?" Dawn asked as Serena took her seat beside her at the very front row. She then watched as the stage began to shift into one of a battlefield like any other gym. "It's hard for you to choose between the two isn't it?" She teased, causing Serena to roll her eyes.

Serena watched as Ash threw his pokeball out in front of him, releasing Greninja onto the battlefield. She then looked over to Alain who did the same, but of course, releasing his Charizard onto the field.

"Alright!" Ash called out, "I'll let you go first!"

"If you insist," Alain said before issuing his Charizard to mega evolve. Alain took his stance as his watch began to react with the mega stone hanging around Charizard's neck. The light from the mega evolution began to blind the crowd, but it also sent them off the edge, and the Alain fans could be heard much more clearly.

Serena looked up once the mega evolution resulted in Charizard's color to change from orange to black with a blue underbelly, and blue flames burning brightly from its mouth.

"Alright then!" Alain called out, "Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" He issued his pokemon.

Charizard happily obliged as it raised its arms out in front of it. It's limbs, and claws began to glow a bright blue. It then locked its eyes on the water pokemon in front of it, before charging straight ahead to attack it.

"Greninja! Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded.

Greninja jumped up into the air before forming a Water Shuriken between its webbed fingertips. As Charizard jumped up from the field to meet Greninja eye to eye, it raised its claws, before throwing its arm out in front of it to hit the ninja pokemon. Before getting the chance to meet contact with it, Greninja threw its star at the fire pokemon, causing it to fall backwards, and land on its feet back on the ground.

"Your Greninja's Water Shuriken looks to have gotten stronger since we last battled," Alain complimented.

"Well, I am the Alolan Champion," Ash replied with complete confidence. "I'm sure that I can beat you now!"

"We'll see about that..." Alain scoffed before issuing his Charizard to use Flamethrower.

"Not so fast!" Ash called out before instructing his Greninja to use Double Team.

The entire arena began to fill with hundreds of replicas of the frog like pokemon.

Serena looked around the auditorium to see that the Double Team even extended far towards the back of the auditorium. A few of the fans even tried jumping up to touch a copy to see if it were actually the real one. Serena then looked over to Charizard who began shooting out its blue flames from its mouth, destroying each copy, one by one. She then looked over to Alain who suddenly began to lean over, with his arms resting on his thighs. She could tell that he was suddenly having a hard time with the battle that was going on around him. It always seems to happen when he would command his Charizard to use Flamethrower.

"Greninja, now!" Ash instructed as Greninja appeared from behind the dragon like pokemon, using Cut to strike it on its protruding belly.

Charizard growled before losing its footing and falling on its side.

"We can do this..." Alain uttered before commanding his Charizard to attack once again using Dragon Claw.

Serena furrowed her brows in worry as she looked at Alain who was slowly losing it. She could tell that he was slowly withdrawing himself back into a state where Mairin's death was taking over his mind.

I have to do something... Serena thought before heading backstage in search of something that would help her with saving Alain from humiliation. If I close the curtains, I'll just disappoint everyone. I can't do that... She frantically looked around the area before running up a set of stairs that led her to the platforms above the stage. She looked over the railings at battle that was happening below her where Charizard was suddenly having a hard time with keeping up with Alain's commands.

She then looked past the cheering crowd, and finally looked up towards the fire sprinkler systems that were situated around the ceiling. She took a deep breath before reaching into the pocket of her blazer for one of her pokeballs.

"I knew that you would find me here." A familiar voice sounded from behind her.

Serena whipped her head around to see Gary standing on the platform just a few feet away from her. "Gary?" She questioned as she removed her hand from her pocket. "What are you doing here?"

The brunette in front of her smirked as his Magmar appeared from behind him. "Don't act like you don't know. I know you came up here because you saw me about to cause trouble."

Serena raised an eyebrow before slightly squinting her eyes in confusion. "Uhm... Okay. Why are you here exactly?"

"To make you go on a date with me."

"Excuse me?" Serena took a few steps back as Gary began to take a few steps forward.

"A bet is a bet, Serena. You owe me that date, and I know what will make you say yes."

"Do we really have time for this?" Serena asked as she leaned over the black railings to eye Alain who trying his best to keep Greninja from constantly attacking his Charizard.

"Yes we do. My Magmar here will use its Flamethrower to activate all of those sprinklers if you do not say yes."

Activate those sprinklers...? Serena looked up at the sprinkler system that she was going to happily allow her Delphox to use its Flamethrower on. A smirk formed upon the honey blonde's face before she looked over at Gary and met his eyes. "Go ahead." She encouraged him .

"Wh-What?" He was taken aback by Serena's reply. "You can't be serious... I was only kidding..." He took a few steps back with confusion taking over his face.

"I really don't want to go out with you Gary," said Serena. "And if you really have a problem with that, then I guess you should set off the sprinklers."

Gary scoffed before standing his ground. He looked at the honey blonde, trying to read her mind. "You're bluffing. You wouldn't encourage me to do that. I thought you were student body president."

"So you're telling me that you were lying if I said no," Serena pointed out before nodding her head with disapproval. "That's no way to get a girl to go out with you. You're just a liar."

"WHAT!?" Gary pouted before crossing his arms over his chest. "I am not! Magmar use Flamethrower on the sprinkler system!"

Boys and their egos... Serena rolled her eyes as she watched the flames from Magmar's mouth shoot upwards towards the ceiling. In a matter of seconds, an alarm was sounded, and the auditorium began to pour with water. Serena looked over at the students who were now rushing to exit the auditorium with Headmaster Redwood and the other teachers telling them to remain calm and exit in an orderly manner.

Serena sighed with relief as she looked over to Ash who was returning his Greninja back into his pokeball. She then looked over to Alain who seemed to be lost in his thoughts, but was quick to receive help from Headmaster Redwood who was also aware of his situation.

"You two!" Serena looked past Gary to see Professor Sycamore walking up the set of the stairs. He had his arms crossed, and his face was filled with complete anger. "Serena, I thought you came up here to put a stop to Gary, so I didn't bother to do anything. Unfortunately, it seems that you were more of an accomplice to him than a figure of authority. I am very disappointed in you. I will see the two of you in detention!"

Serena's eyes widened at the word detention. She has never received detention before.

"I guess we'll be seeing more of each other," Gary winked before following Professor Sycamore down the set of stairs.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeh, I am still aware that its still boring, but it will get better. I know Serena may appear a bit OOC, but I've changed her a bit because she did grow up (and everyone else). Also, the amourshipping is going to be somewhat slow moving, but if you're into school fics anyway, I hope that you will be patient. :)

I also wanted to make a point because of a review left by aliensinnoh. A few of you amourshippers might think this is a SerenaxAlain fic, but I'm just trying to point out that while Ash was gone, Serena formed a close friendship with a different guy. This is important to the relationship that will develop between the two, and I'm just trying to point out their closeness for future drama. I was initially going to make Alain's character be Calem, but I changed Calem (whose a minor character) to be Serena's older brother instead. If you don't like it, then I'm sorry. I mean, I personally lowkey ship Serena with Alain... Oddly enough. haha :)

Anywho, thanks to those who left a review for Chapter 2! Thank to aliensinnoh, 2 Guest's, Frostburn243, Bluejack222.


	4. Detention

**Note:** Hey guys! Things are starting to get interesting now. :)

Anywho, I would like to say thanks to those who commented in the last chapter! RavenRusher11, Q-A Authoress, aliensinnoh, Guest, Bluejack222, DeretArmourShippping, & FantasyLover88!

I know I've initially chosen Friday as my update schedule, but its random as of now until I finish my amourshipping one. :)

* * *

Chapter Four: Detention

Palermo was going to be absolutely furious. She was going to give Serena a handful once she found out that she received detention on the very first day of school. The number one rule she engraved into Serena's mind before taking her under her wing was for her to stay out of trouble.

The honey blonde could already hear Palermo's yells paired off with a lecture. She was most likely going to blame the introduction of boys to the school, and point out that Serena was boy crazy, when in reality she really wasn't. She just cared for Alain's well-being, and losing her detention free streak was worth saving him.

"Well, that's what you get." Alain chuckled after taking a swig from the water fountain. "It's your punishment for caring for me too much." He sounded rather proud, and flattered about Serena's actions.

Serena glared at the boy who resumed his walk down the hall with a single notebook in his hand. He had a few loose pieces of paper hanging out of his book, and it aggravated Serena just a tiny bit. For a boy who just completed his first official days of classes, he didn't seem too worried about being organized and keeping track of his assignments. She wanted to point out his lack of enthusiasm about school, but she had other, important things on her mind.

"It's not my fault that you won't look after yourself." Serena shrugged after turning a corner.

As the two took another turn leading them straight to the detention hall, Serena looked up to see Gary standing just outside the room. She stopped in her tracks as she met the brunette's eyes. With his hands in his pockets, the boy simply nodded and winked at the girl before opening the door and entering the room. His attempt at a flirtatious wink sent shivers down her spine. She was so worried about Palermo's wrath, she completely forgot about Gary.

"So that must be Gary, huh?" Alain asked, staring ahead at where the brunette just stood. "The guy who wants to go on a date with you..." He finished off bitterly.

Serena sighed as she held her books up to her chest. "Yes," she responded reluctantly. She was now hoping that someone else got detention. Even if they did though, it was most likely going to be another boy. None of the girls were stupid enough to receive detention on their very first day.

"See you later," Alain said before walking down another hall.

Startled, Serena looked up at Alain who seemed eager enough to get away from her. "He-Hey!" She called out. "Where do you think you're going?! You said you were going to walk me to detention!"

She looked at the figure that was slowly starting to get smaller. All the Kalosian Champion managed to do was raise his arm up, and wave two fingers at her. He didn't even bother to turn around and look at her being caught in a panic.

Serena groaned before clutching her books tighter against her chest. She took a deep breath before walking the rest of her way to the detention room. As she opened the door, the results of who received detention seemed to be just as she expected. Taking a quick glance around the room, the only person who sat there in the very center was Gary. He already looked very comfortable with his back leaning against his chair, his arms crossed behind his head, and his legs resting on top of his chosen desk. Serena tilted her head upwards, looking at the clock that was placed above the blackboard. She still had five minutes until detention was actually going to start. Five minutes for any other miscreant to enter the room.

The honey blonde walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She took a seat at one of the desks that were closer to the blackboard. She placed her bag on the ground, and her books on top of her desk before sitting up straight. She could already hear the steps of the brunette behind her making his move.

"You don't want to sit beside me?" Gary pouted.

Serena opened her eyes, and took a peek to her left to see Gary sitting in the seat next to her. "It's detention, Gary. We're not supposed to talk."

"But we still have four minutes."

Serena once again glanced up at the clock that was ticking away. Four more minutes for anyone to enter the room. Anyone. It could be Amelia, a girl that gave her a hard time in the Performer's Program for all she cared.

"So how about that date?" Gary was quick to pop the question.

Serena sighed as she continued to stare at the clock in front of her. "I'm sorry Gary, but I don't want to go out with you." She admitted. "That bet was between you and Dawn. I shouldn't be apart of it. I think you should talk about a new reward with Dawn." She tried to refrain from showing her annoyance.

"Those were the terms of the bet, and I don't like changing terms." He responded fairly quick.

This boy just wasn't one to give up. How long has it been since that bet was made? Half a year. Wasn't there any other girl he could bother?

"Just one date." He continued to pester her. "I promise I'm a pretty fun person to be with." He held his hand out in front of him as if he was ready to cite some kind of oath.

Other than just not being interested in the boy beside her, she just didn't have the time to go on dates. She had to train extra hard for her Showcases, and she had a tonne of duties to fulfill as student body president. Halloween was still weeks away, but she knew that she was going to have to plan the events for the holiday in the next couple days.

"I don't have the time to go on dates, Gary."

"It's just one."

"No."

"On the weekend."

"No."

Serena glanced back up at the clock that was a minute away from commencing the beginning of detention. She guessed that she had to be stuck, alone with this boy for a half hour. She absolutely dreaded it, but there was nothing she could do. He was currently listing his charming attributes, and she was paying little to no attention to it.

Suddenly, the door in front of them clicked and opened. The two of them looked up to see Ash enter the room with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

"Ketchum?" Gary questioned with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey guys..." Ash slightly chuckled with embarrassment as he rubbed his nape. "This is detention isn't it?" He asked for confirmation before maneuvering himself around the desks, and taking a seat behind Serena.

"You have detention?" Gary laughed. "What did you do?"

The honey blonde shifted her weight in her seat to look back at the raven haired Champion. Even she was curious as to how Ash got himself into detention.

"Well..." Ash began, flustered. "I went to check out the battle arena earlier this morning." He looked at Serena. "You know, the one you were supposed to take me too yesterday."

Serena bit her bottom lip, remembering that she did promise Ash that she was going to show him the arena when he was finished picking up his uniform, and finding his classes. She completely forgot though because Gary was his roommate, and she ran away the second she heard his voice.

"… I went there to train... and I forgot to attend my classes. Professor Sycamore found me and he gave me detention for skipping all my classes..." He finished off.

Gary burst out into a fit of laughter. "No wonder why I didn't see you in any of our classes. I just thought you had important Champion duties, but I guess not. Leave it to Ketchum to always be late."

It was just like Ash to put training before anything else. Serena constantly wondered if that trait about him changed, but it seemed to have remained intact. She felt happy to know that Ash was still a hundred percent dedicated to his training. She just thought that after becoming Champion, training wouldn't be such a big deal, but to keep his title, she guessed he had to constantly train hard.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Ash asked, changing the subject. "It sounded important before I came into the room."

"Oh yeah," Gary said, looking back at the honey blonde who began sinking into her seat. "Go on a date with me."

"Date?" Ash perked up at the word date. "You're trying to get Serena to go on a date with you?"

"She owes me one," replied Gary. "Dawn lost a bet and promised me a date with Serena for losing."

Serena groaned before sitting up straight in her seat. "But that bet was months ago. You should just let it go."

"No. I want to go on a date with you."

He wasn't even asking her anymore. To Serena it felt more like he was commanding her to do so. She had to admit that she admired his perseverance, but it still wasn't enough for her to go on a date with him. He was her first bully and was always such a nuisance whenever she came into contact with him. There was absolutely no way that she was ever going to go on a date with him. "Why do you want to go on a date with me so much?" Serena asked with curiosity. She, at least had the right to know as to why he wanted to take her out so badly.

She looked over to Gary, wondering that he was going to say. It had to be along the lines of 'You're another girl on my list', or something like that. His vibe was definitely giving off this obnoxious and narcissistic attitude.

"Who wouldn't?" He replied after a minute of contemplation. He then looked over to Ash and tapped on the edge of his desk. "Wouldn't you want to go out with Serena?"

Serena's eyes widened as she stared ahead at the blank blackboard. Her heart slightly fluttered at Gary asking Ash that question. Her younger self always wanted to know what Ash would think about if they went on a date together. Now, she just felt curious, but that didn't stop her heart from heavily pounding through her chest.

"Yeah," Ash responded after what felt like a billion minutes. "Serena's pretty awesome. I think any guy would be lucky to go on a date with her."

The honey blonde slightly blushed before whipping her head around to look at Ash. He was always so nice, and he probably thought the same about Dawn and May, but she just had to make sure that he wasn't just trolling her, or reading off some cue cards.

"You know," Ash continued, meeting Serena's eyes. "I've read so many of your accomplishments from reading Dawn and May's letters. You became president, you became the top performing student with the best grades, you pulled the Kalosian Champion, Alain out of his rut... You did a lot of great things."

Serena slightly squinted her eyes, trying to read his emotions and what was going on in his head. He sounded somewhat sad, and maybe it was because Dawn and May were the ones conveying her accomplishments to him. She never once wrote a letter to Ash simply because she wanted to get over him. It seemed like he actually took interest in what she was doing over the years, and she tried so hard to rid herself of any news revolving around him.

Once again, the door to the classroom flung wide open, causing the two to look away from one another. Serena raised an eyebrow as Professor Sycamore entered the room with his hair and the top half of his outfit drenched in water.

"Are you okay, Professor?" Serena asked as he took off his lab coat and began drying himself off.

"It's just water," he said. "It's not a big deal... I'm just a few minutes late, that's all."

"How did that happen?" Ash asked as Gary broke out into laughter.

"Well... Alain..." Professor Sycamore gritted his name through his teeth before urging Alain to enter the room.

With one of his hands in his pocket, and the other one holding onto his notebook, the Kalosian Champion sauntered into the room looking like he did nothing wrong.

Serena stared at the boy as Professor Sycamore instructed him to take a seat behind Gary. It suddenly made sense to Serena. She knew Alain well enough to know that he drenched Professor Sycamore on purpose so that she wouldn't have to be alone with Gary in detention. That was why he left her so suddenly before she entered the classroom. The honey blonde smiled to herself before glancing back at Alain. She gave him a faint smile, paired off with a wink to show that she knew what he was up too. He simply met her eyes, and looked away, flustered, immediately after she gave him a wink.

"Alright, we will commence with your detention for half an hour. There will be no talking or fooling around of any sorts," said Professor Sycamore. "You are free to work on any homework you have rece-"

"SERENA YVONNE!"

The all too familiar scream sent Serena over the edge. It belonged to the one and only Palermo, and Serena knew that she wasn't pleased. She didn't even need to turn her head to know that Palermo was standing at the doorway with that giant vein like thing convulsing on her forehead.

"Palermo," Professor Sycamore stood up straight. "Is there something you-"

"Why is my student in detention?" Palermo interrupted before stomping into the room.

Palermo only ever left the Performer's Faculty if it was for something important... or if one of her students were in trouble. Today was the day that Serena thought would never happen.

"Serena is the one who activated the sprinklers in yesterday's assembly. I had to give her detention."

"Yes, well if my students cause any trouble, you let me deal with their punishment." Palermo pointed out in a stern voice. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to talk with her." Palermo glowered down at the honey blonde before commanding her to gather her belongings.

Serena knew all too well that if you didn't listen to Palermo's commands, your entire school year would suffer.

* * *

Serena sat in the cushioned seats of Palermo's office as Palermo herself sat across from her, tapping her fingers against her desk. They sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity, and Serena already felt like this was much worse than being in detention.

"I am very disappointed in you, Serena." Palermo finally said. "You have never once gotten detention, and as soon as boys are introduced into the school, you get your first one."

The honey blonde scrunched up the hem of her skirt between her hands, unable to look at her mentor straight in the eye.

"Do you have a crush on one of those boys? That's why you got detention?"

"What?!" Serena almost choked on her spit. "I don't like any of them!" The honey blonde met Palermo's piercing gaze, and she could feel her soul being sucked right out of her body.

Palermo simply sighed before sliding a folder in Serena's direction. "The Grand Opening Ball will be held here in Kalos Academy this year." She was quick to change the subject. "I want you and the council to plan it. It will be held a week from now."

Serena rapidly blinked her eyes. She found it rather strange as to how Palermo's mood changed so quickly. Palermo reached over to the red button on her phone. "Send her in now," she said through the mic, and Serena could hear Miss Anderson's voice through the speaker.

In a few seconds, the doors opened and Shauna entered the room. Palermo gestured for her to take a seat next to Serena, and Shauna was quick to oblige.

"Since Shauna is our current Kalos Queen, I want you two to plan this event together with the student council. I trust Shauna's experience with these kind of events, and I trust your skills as an event planner." Palermo was quick to get to the point. "If you have any questions, please contact me. I will check on your progress every day or so." Palermo urged Serena to grab the folder. Serena opened the folder to already see the requirements needed for the ball. "You two may leave."

The two stood up from their seats and shuffled out of Palermo's office. She thought that she just received a break from Gary, but then she had to face Palermo's wrath. And now, she had to plan an event with the girl that hated her. She just couldn't receive a break.

"Do you want to start working on this now?" Serena asked as they exited the waiting room. "We can jot down some ideas."

"Uhm..." Shauna trailed off, looking around the area.

"Shauna! Over here!"

Serena turned her head to see Amelia waving at them. She then looked over to Shauna who began jogging her way over to their fellow Performer.

 _Great._ Serena thought. The girl who disliked her has befriended the girl that absolutely despised her. Her year was starting off just great.


	5. President

**Note:** Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! :) **Q-A Authoress, aliensinnoh, RavenRusher11, Guest, FantasyLover88, skyblu23, Bluejack222**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: President**

"Alright, Delphox!" Serena called out to her fox like Pokemon. "Use Mystical Fire!"

Delphox nodded at the training performer before twirling towards the center of the stage. The bipedal fox raised its stick above its head, and began twirling it within its grip. In a mere second, the stick began to burn an orange red. Delphox then looked up, and opened its mouth to release a stream of fire that slowly turned into a fiery tornado.

Serena twirled around her Delphox, practicing one of the many routines she's created since she started attending the Academy. "Alright Altaria, you know what to do!" She called out, eying her dragon/flying Pokemon.

"Altaria!" Altaria flew to the center of the tornado, releasing a fog of water droplets from its mouth.

The contact of the two elements caused the tornado to calm, and shift into a fiery fountain. The area around Serena began to sparkle with specks of orange and red. Serena smiled to herself before grabbing onto the baton that Altaria threw towards her. Delphox then stopped as the room filled with enough glittering specks. It then joined Serena, and danced along with her. The two flipped their batons in sync, and occasionally exchanged them throughout the routine. Altaria flew above them, flying along to the routine, until finally, the song ended, and they ended off with their pose.

Serena breathed heavily as soon as the music came to a stop. She glanced over at her Delphox, and smiled at it before narrowing her eyes downwards at Palermo, who was watching her routine from below the stage. Usually, the other girls that were under Palermo's guidance would be in the same room. They usually all performed one by one, and learned from one another while listening to Palermo's criticism. But, now that Serena was allowed to participate in this years Showcases, she had to practice in a separate auditorium.

"You're slightly off sync with your Altaria, and you still need to work on keeping your legs, and arms perfectly straight when perfecting your twirls." Palermo said without any hesitation. "Come to me when you have fixed your mistakes." Palermo grabbed onto her belongings and headed towards the exit. "Maybe then, we can work on a new routine for your first Showcase." She then left the auditorium, most likely to return to the rest of her trainees.

Palermo was always so blunt when it came to nitpicking Serena or any other performer's routines. When Serena first trained under Palermo, she cried half of the time because she could never please the woman. The worst thing was, she would criticize you, and never tell you as to how to actually improve. She always left you to figure it out on your own. But that was just her way of making you stronger. The world of performing was filled with snobs, gossipers, and nosy reporters. You had to be strong if you wanted to be successful in the business.

Other performers who didn't have guidance from Palermo were always envious of those who did. Whenever she came to a few school Showcases, every girl was dying to know what she thought. Palermo would say nothing though. Even her expression remained stoic. Once you were even given the chance to train under her, the only goal was to receive criticism or even better, a compliment. At that point, you knew that you had a chance of winning the crown.

Serena fell to the ground in exhaustion, and her Delphox sat next to her while her Altaria hovered above her. "Good job you two. We'll take a short rest, then resume with practicing." She smiled, and her Pokemon simply nodded.

The world of performing changed a lot over the past few years. Just when Serena started thinking that she got the hang of it, they altered something about the requirements, or the choice of the events. It put her two steps backwards, but it never stopped her from trying.

Back then, it was just competing with a couple contestants with baking pokepuffs, or attracting Rhyhorns (or something else). Whoever won that was moved onto the next round for the freestyle performance, and then the crowd voted with their wands. Oh, it was so simple back then. Now, they started off with the physical round, usually an event that tested their athletic skills. The top ten were then moved on to the creativity round. They were given a task that, of course, revolved around creativity, and it was usually also paired off with a test for beauty and uniqueness. The top ten were tasked with something like decorating their pokemon or accessorizing a dress. The top five were then moved to the next round where their communication skills were tested. Whether it be befriending a stubborn pokemon or answering a question, or even something else entirely. After that, the top three were finally sent into the freestyle performance round (with a given theme), and then they were judged in all categories containing a panel of four judges, plus the crowd.

Becoming Kalos Queen became a goal amongst many young girls. They had no choice but to make it much more difficult for anyone to obtain the crown.

Serena walked to the edge of the stage, and sat with her legs crossed. She reached for her bag, and grabbed for her bottle to replenish her dry throat. She then pushed down on the mouthpiece, securing it back in place to prevent any of the liquid from leaking out. A loud exhale escaped her mouth as she laid back on the stage. Replenishing her thirst gave her the energy she needed to practice her routine once more. It didn't matter that her energy was refilled though. She had to make sure that her Delphox and Altaria were ready to go at it again. After all, they were just important to the routine as she was.

Serena pulled herself back up, straightening her legs out in the process. She looked to her shoes before reaching over to her laces to secure them. Suddenly, the empty auditorium resounded with the sounds of a xylophone - the familiar upbeat tune that was used before any important announcement.

"Good morning my fellow Xearneans!" Headmaster Redwood addressed his students with his grumbly voice. "I have a very important announcement to make, and I hope that you are all listening."

Serena raised an eyebrow as she stood up from the stage. It wasn't like Headmaster Redwood to make any important announcements this early in the year. Everything was supposed to be addressed during the assembly, and the next important speech to ever be addressed was for the Halloween event, and even then, that was still a trivial matter.

"As you all know," he continued. "The presidential elections usually take place in the spring, and the current council take charge for the remainder of the year, and half of the next one. Listening to a suggestion by one of our new, male students, it has come to my attention that our current council is all female. Because it is the first year males have entered the school, I have decided to change the election for this year. Instead of holding it in the spring, the elections will take place after Halloween, with submitting your papers to run for president starting next week. Not only will the current president have to rerun, the current members of the council will also have to reprove that they are good enough to stay on the council. Because of our new coed school, I hope that our next council will be a mix of both genders! If you have any more questions, please visit me at my office! If not, then I encourage you all to support your future candidates! Thank you!"

The honey blonde's jaw dropped, and her left eye slightly began to twitch. This couldn't be happening to her. Headmaster Redwood was just going to change the rules like that? She was just told that she was allowed to take part in the Showcases this year. She needed to focus on that, especially since she hasn't participated in one in years. On top of that, she had to deal with Shauna, who was hanging out with the girl that despised her most in the program. Then there was Gary... It was all too much. She couldn't do all of that while running for president, again. She had a pretty hard time winning in the last one.

Serena exhaled loudly before grabbing onto her belongings. "I'll be back! You two just keep resting!" She hollered at her Pokemon as she exited the auditorium.

* * *

"Serena!" The honey blonde could hear the voice of Dawn who was scurrying up a flight of stairs with a look of distress. Behind her, trying to catch up was May, who also shared the same expression. Dawn was the vice president, while May was the treasurer. Seeing them scurry over to the main office was no surprise to her.

"We're going to have to rerun for all of our roles?" Dawn asked, out of breath. "The last election was pretty intense! I don't think I can handle it this early in the year."

"Me too," May said as Serena pushed on the heavy steel doors.

"May, you're the best at handling money," Dawn pointed out, irritated. "I don't think you're going to lose your slot."

"You don't know that. We don't know any of the guys here. One of them may be able to take the spot away from me."

The anxious performer took a turn while listening to her two friends continued with their conversation about the outcome and who would even want to be apart of the council. It's barely been a week since school started. For all they knew, it was just some random nerd who had a huge concern for gender equality. Before the start of the year, Serena's thought about a few possible situations that could happen once the guys entered the school. She thought about the guys feeling like maybe they needed more male clubs or even more space just for them to hangout. But it never occurred to her that one of them would want to break the student council apart so quickly. They'd only have to deal with a semester under the girl's commands. That wouldn't be so bad. Besides, the boys still had to adjust to the school, who would even have the time to run for president?

Serena took another turn, and looked up to see the giant mahogany doors that led to Headmaster Redwood's office. She blinked then looked to the side, noticing the all too familiar spiky brunette colored hair. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and a smirk plastered across his face was the boy that Serena should have thought of right away when the Headmaster made the announcement.

"Gary...?" Serena questioned before stomping over to him. "I should've known it was you." The abrupt accusation caused her two friends to end their conversation. They followed behind Serena as she stopped in front of the aspiring professor.

"You mean, I didn't pop into your head after that announcement?" He feigned a look of disappointment.

"Why would you want to run for president?" May asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dawn rolled her eyes. "It's his narcissism that got him here. He needs to establish his ego to the rest of the school. What better way than running for president?" She finished with gritted teeth.

"I wouldn't have done this if Serena just agreed to go out with me."

"So, you're doing this because I rejected you?" Serena asked. She wasn't sure if she should feel impressed by the fact that this boy was willing to go to the extremes just for a mere date.

"Yeah," He answered as if it was nothing to be embarrassed about. "I sense that you like a boy who takes charge. A man who's in power! I'll do whatever it takes to win your heart, Serena." He winked before grazing the tip of her chin with his index finger.

His action sent chills up Serena's spine. Even when he pulled away right after, Serena swatted his hand like it was a pesky, buzzing fly. She then whipped her head, glaring at Dawn. This would have never happened if Dawn just bet something else. They could have traded Pokemon for all she cared.

Dawn gulped, taken aback by Serena's piercing glares. "Serena also likes a guy who doesn't act like some crazy stalker."

"But, it's obvious that Serena likes a guy who cares, and doesn't give up." He pointed out.

Serena had to admit that was true, but the way that Gary was expressing it just made her want to run away from him all the time. His actions may seem sweet, but they were literally moves that would make any girl run away in a minute, rather than bringing them close.

"Yes, but you're acting like a complete stalker!" Dawn countered.

Gary stood up straight, his smug expression still taking over his face. "Are you jealous, Dawn?" He winked, causing the bluenette to become flustered.

"As if!" She spat on his face, causing Gary to back away with a repulsive look.

"Ahh, this must be the commotion I was hearing!" Headmaster Redwood seemed to have exited his office without any notice. He hovered above the foursome, greeting them all with a kind smile.

His tallness, and broad figure made it seem like he was a wrestler or bodybuilder back in the day. But he was actually a man who was a part of the chess team and science club. Over the years, Serena had to constantly hear him reminisce about the past, and tell the students of how terrible he was at sports.

He had messy gray hair, and a long disheveled beard, and behind his gold-rimmed glasses were his warm, welcoming eyes. They always seemed to be smiling even when he was angry. Even then, Serena's never even seen the man get angry. The year before, they had a food fight when a rival school came to visit. Instead of getting mad, he encouraged it, saying that it was good way to bring the two schools together (even when it didn't). Still, there was just something about his presence that made no one able to fully disobey him. It could be the way he handled certain situations, but Serena couldn't really put a finger on it. She wasn't a troublemaker anyways, so it never bothered her much.

"I assume the three of you are here because of the announcement?" He stroked his beard.

"Well... yeah..." May answered. "It's kind of sudden, don't you think?"

"I assure you that everything will be fine. After all, if the three of you keep your slots, wouldn't that just show that you girls are the best at your respective roles? Even with boys in the school?"

Serena bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to think. Even if she was the best at being president, she had to go through the whole campaigning process again. She definitely wasn't looking forward to that at all.

"But I'm gonna win," Gary said with the utmost confidence.

"Ahh, Mr. Oak." Headmaster Redwood turned his body to face the young boy. "You are not aware of what Serena here is capable of."

"Well, she doesn't know what I'm capable of either."

"That makes things interesting now, doesn't it?" Headmaster Redwood finished off before walking away from the foursome.

"But!" Dawn tried to protest, but he didn't stop. He just continued on with his walk down the hall.

"Well, Serena..." Gary said. "I must get to class now. I'll be looking forward to defeating you in the upcoming elections." He winked before taking his own leave.

* * *

After class, Serena rejoined Dawn and May in the council room to start on Palermo's request – to plan the Performer's Grand Opening Ball. Usually, the room was pretty quiet, and everyone would resume with their duties. It was completely opposite today because of the announcement that took place earlier that morning. Everyone was talking with one another, sharing their worries with one another while coming up with plans to keep their spot.

The council remained pretty much unchanged over the last couple years. Everyone loved their spot on the council, and wouldn't give it up for anything. Everyone in the school seemed to like the placements too. They were like a well-oiled machine. They always reached fair compromises when there was a disagreement. When it came to event planning, everything always ran smoothly, and the clean up was pretty quick too. It was a shame that it was all going to change in the next couple months.

Serena looked up at the clock, noticing that they were supposed to start the meeting half an hour ago. Shauna wasn't there though, and Palermo wanted the two of them to work together to plan the ball. Serena shook her head in disappointment; she guessed she had to start off the planning without her. Shauna was the current Kalos Queen, and she didn't seem to doing a good job of doing it if she was just going to skip the important meeting.

"Alright everyone!" Serena announced, "Since Shauna isn't here, I guess we're going to have to start planning the ball ourselves, and tell her about our suggestions some other time."

Everyone slowly came to a hush as they refocused their attention to the honey blonde who stood at the front of the class.

"We can all resume talking about the re-elections after we plan all of this. After all, this is what we're best at." She tried to encourage those who felt like they were going to be dropped from the council.

"You don't have to do that," Shauna suddenly sauntered into the room as Serena began to write on the whiteboard.

"You're late." Serena blinked, placing the marker on the teacher's podium.

"Because I was planning everything." Shauna said, pulling out a thick booklet of sheets that were stapled to one another.

"What is this?" Serena asked, taking the booklet from Shauna's grasp. She began to flip through it, her eyes resting upon a few minor details like choice of table clothes or choice of music.

"I already have everything planned," she said. "I got help from Amelia. You don't have to do a thing. We'll take care of it."

"What?" Serena blinked in surprise, and once again the room began to fill with quiet whispers. "Palermo asked you to work with the council."

"Yeah, but I heard the announcement. I'm sure you guys have other things to worry about..." Shauna turned her head to look at the anxious council members.

Serena wasn't sure if she should be feeling grateful or angered by Shauna's lack of cooperation. As the current Queen, she could have been doing it show sympathy. On the other hand, she could have been doing it to just get away from Serena. Her motives seemed unclear.

"Amelia and I will take care of all of it. Palermo doesn't have to know a thing." Shauna said, grabbing the booklet from the honey blonde. "I'll see you later." She finished off before leaving the room.

As the door opened, Serena saw Amelia standing outside the door. She thought that she could have taken this time to befriend Shauna again. She was wrong.

* * *

 **So, the next chapter will be, of course, the ball. I hope you guys look forward to that.**

 **Also, this is an amourshipping story, however it won't develop that quickly. I'm sorry if that disappoints you. I'm starting to come up with the other possible pairings in the story too, but that will be a surprise whenever that happens. Don't want to give away too many spoilers.**

 **Also, I was just wondering what is your favorite pair other than AshxSerena? Leave a review or PM me. Thanks!**


	6. The Grand Opening Ball

**Note:** **Hey guys! I still feel rather uncomfortable writing battles, so please don't critique it too hard. I mostly go with anime logic than game logic. lmao I don't battle anyone in the games... I just spam an offensive move to get through it. LMAO.**

 **Also, since this is amourshipping, sadly, I will not be inputting any other ships that involve Ash with someone else. :( I just wanted to see what other ships were popular other than Ash and _. Thanks for your input though. I think there will be 3 other pairs in the end, but it's still not decided.**

 **Anyway, thanks to all the people who reviewed the last chapter! - aliensinnoh, Guest, Bluejack222, gabed1298, FantasyLover88, Q-A Authoress, Daisy Pragnya, skyblu23.**

 **Also, aliensinnoh asked: How did Shauna become Kalos Queen & how did Palermo let her participate before Serena? I replied to them in a PM, but just in case any of you guys are wondering too, Shauna is a new student and won on her own without going to the school. :) **

* * *

**Chapter Six: The Grand Opening Ball**

The Kalos Academy event hall shined with its golden décor and white trim. The bright lights situated around the room made the décor look much more vibrant. Just like every other formal event, the room was filled with a dozen round tables with centerpieces, and assigned seating to those who were apart of the performers program. At the center was the dance floor; usually dedicated to the classic waltz, and at the far end was the stage, obviously meant for any scheduled performances.

Despite the program being exclusively for the Performers, the entirety of the school was invited to the event to provide their support. Two long tables were placed at the back corner, filled with heaps of food for the attendees to enjoy. The door leading into the event hall was kept open to encourage the rest of the school to participate. Outside the room was the courtyard that was decorated with white pillars. Golden cloths draped around the pillars and the stony staircase that surrounded the round, illuminated fountain in the center.

Standing just outside the event hall, next to the white, arched garland was the honey blonde, encouraging the non-performers to grab a bite, and familiarize themselves with the current class of performers. As someone who was a part of the program, she was supposed to be inside, conversing with the important guests like Monsieur Pierre or Aria. As president, she also had a duty to make sure that the event was running smoothly, and there were no troublemakers in the area.

"I never thought that we would be wearing the same outfits." Miette pointed out, joining Serena as they smiled at the students entering the hall. "I hate to admit it, but Shauna and Amelia did a pretty good job..." Miette was a part of the council, but she didn't care much about her chances of getting booted out of it. She just joined because she had nothing else to do, and in the end, she just happened to enjoy it. She found it a shame if she had to leave, but it wasn't something that was affecting her.

Serena looked down at her outfit before looking straight at Miette. They were both assigned to wear white dresses that were made to look like togas. The dresses were long and flowy, and the material was gathered at the waist, and was tied together by a golden ribbon. To accessorize, they all wore strappy golden heels, and a golden leaf crown. Shauna thought it was a great idea to have all the performer's dress the same way. That way, they would all stick out, and everyone would be able to differentiate them.

Serena didn't want to admit it, but Shauna did an excellent job with planning the entire thing. Because they were roommates, Palermo just assumed that the two were working together, and then conveying their thoughts to the rest of the council. In reality though, Shauna was somewhere out with Amelia, planning the entire thing, and then conveying her ideas to her before going to bed. Before Serena could even provide her own input, Shauna would turn off the lights, and sleep. It sucked, but on the bright side, it gave Serena time to start on her platform, and design her posters.

"Yeah, it does look pretty great," Serena, agreed before taking another glance at the decorated area. Her eyes then rested upon Shauna who was happily conversing with Monsieur Pierre, and a few well-known judges. She radiated with such beauty, and Serena could feel her charisma from where she stood. Whatever the brunette was saying, it surely was keeping her listeners captivated. In this lighting she appeared to be meant for Kalos Queen, but just as her roommate, it was the complete opposite.

"Do you think Shauna would want to run for president?" Miette asked, causing another weight to hit Serena's already burdened shoulders.

"You think she would?" Serena asked with widened eyes. That thought never occurred to her. Shauna was already Kalos Queen, why would she want to be student body president?

"I don't know," answered Miette. "It's just, she's friends with Amelia, and Amelia ran against you last year. Amelia probably knows that she can't win against you, and will have Shauna run in her place. That way she can be vice president." She finished out proudly, like she just figured out something important.

"Thanks for that thought Miette..." Serena groaned, feeling another weight add to her shoulders. The bluenette was always so blunt.

"I'm just preparing you, Serena. After all, you didn't think that Gary would start all this. You should've just gone on a date with him. It's better to go through a few hours of torture rather than a few months."

"I know... I should've thought about that sooner..." Serena narrowed her eyes, before belting out a loud sigh. She then looked up, noticing Alain hiding behind a few bushes away from the brightly lit courtyard.

"Ahh yes, your secret boyfriend." Miette teased.

Serena glared at Miette, but the girl was completely unwavered by it. "I'll be right back," she said before heading towards the boy who was eying the area with caution.

"What are you doing?" Serena asked as Alain pulled her further behind the cluster of bushes. "Don't tell me that you're hiding again."

"I have no choice," he said.

"You're going to have to face them sooner or later." Serena was referring to any important figure in the room that was revolved around the world of pokemon battling. If she could remember, Diantha was in the very same event hall. She was after all, an avid follower of the showcases, and even appeared as a guest judge from time to time.

"I choose later," he responded. "I have to face the council in a couple weeks anyway." He shrugged, referring to what was going to happen to his title.

There was a chance that he would no longer be the Kalos Champion. It disappointed Serena as to how he didn't care much about keeping it. Kalos Champion was a title that every trainer strived for, and here he was, avoiding the entire situation. She knew it's been a couple years since Mairin's death, but he seriously needed to start getting a grip.

Whenever she brought the subject up, Alain never seemed to listen. Now, she occasionally informed him of her worries, but usually, she left it untouched. "Then why are you here?" She sighed.

"To offer you my support." He began rummaging through his jacket pocket.

Serena's eyes slightly widened as she stared at the object that Alain pulled out of his pocket – a small pink box with the familiar chef's hat logo imprinted right on the center. He obviously took a trip to Shalour City to get her a couple of macarons. It was Serena's favorite patisserie in all of Kalos. Whenever she had the time, she'd make a trip there every now and then and stock up on her favorite baked goods. She couldn't believe that Alain did that just for her.

"Sorry, I couldn't have gotten you more. I'll do better next time," he said before turning his body away from her. "See you later," he waved his hand before walking away.

Serena smiled to herself, and opened the box. There were three macarons inside; all three being pistachio. It was her absolute fave. She just needed to find a way to hide it from Miette. Miette absolutely adored those macarons too.

"Serena!"

The honey blonde whipped around, scanning the area before resting her eyes upon the raven haired champion running her way. Seeing him in a tuxedo stunned her for a short second. She's seen Ash in one when they were kids, but now that he was grown up, he looked even better.

"Hey Ash!" Serena smiled as the boy came to a stop in front of her. "You look great."

"Thanks." He slightly blushed before returning the compliment. His eyes then shifted downwards, noticing the pink box that was in her hands. "What is that?"

"Oh, It's just a few macarons that Alain got for me. It's his way of wishing me good luck."

"Alain, huh?" His voice lowered, almost sounding like he was disappointed.

"Yeah." Serena glanced over at Miette who was busy talking to Dawn and May. Those two also enjoyed the macarons from Shalour. She then looked at Ash who began stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Do you think you can keep it in your pocket until the event is over?" Serena asked. She did not want to share three macarons between the four of them. It just wouldn't work out.

"Huh?" Ash blinked. He seemed to have been deep in thought.

"Well, I kind of don't want to share with the others." Serena whispered before using her eyes to point at the three by the door. "If no one catches you with them, I'll share one with you when the event is over."

Ash smiled before taking the box out of her hands. "Sure," he replied before carefully placing it in his pocket.

"So where's Pikachu?" Serena asked as the pair slowly began to walk to the entrance.

"Playing somewhere, I guess. Pikachu and I used to be inseparable, but now that I'm growing up, I guess it sensed that sometimes I need my own privacy."

"I see." She found it so weird that his buddy wasn't perched up on his shoulder. When they traveled together in the past, there's never been a day where Pikachu wasn't there. It was all so weird. There had to be a reason as to why Pikachu suddenly sensed that Ash needed some privacy. "What did you do to make it think that?" She decided to ask. "Did you get a girlfriend?" She teased, stifling a giggle.

"Wh-What?" Ash's face turned a bright shade of crimson. "I've never had a girlfriend before..."

"Really? You seem so nervous though, Ash. Your face is bright red." She giggled. "I think you're hiding it from me." She leaned in close, inspecting his incredibly red skin. She never thought that she would be teasing him about his love life. If this were her back then, she'd be flustered about the topic, and incredibly envious if he mentioned some other girl's name. Oh, she learned so much from Bonnie.

"I swear!" He protested, holding his palms out in front of him as some kind of defense mechanism. "It's just a weird thing to talk about since everyone I traveled with in Alola is dating someone. It sort of made me realize that I shouldn't have-" He stopped himself from completing his sentence. He shook his head, and Serena stared at him with curiosity.

"Shouldn't have what?" Serena asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's nothing. I just don't understand relationships..." He chuckled before looking away for a few seconds. "So, uhm, how are you doing?"

"How am I doing?" Serena blinked. She wanted to know what he was going to say, but she hasn't talked to him in years. She felt like it would be rude to ask since they weren't very close anymore. Maybe sometime in the future she could ask him. After all, seeing Ash flustered over the topic of love was something that she was always going to remember.

"Yeah, you're the current president, so you have to worry about the elections, right?" He pointed out. "Man, I should've tied Gary to his bed the minute he came up with the idea."

"I have a lot to worry about aside from all that." Serena sighed before making a fist. "But, I'm sure I'll be okay. I'm sure I can win against him!" She finished off with determination.

"That's the spirit," said Ash, raising his own fist to Serena's. "And if you need help, just ask away."

"Thanks, Ash." Serena smiled as they reached the gates. Miette and the others were no longer standing by the entrance. That only meant that Palermo or someone else was going to make an announcement.

The pair entered the hall just in time to see Palermo standing on the stage, holding onto a glass of wine, and a microphone in her other hand. As Ash went his own way to grab a plate of food, Serena squeezed her way through the crowd to where most of the performer's were standing. Palermo was most likely going to commence with asking; whom she thought was the best performers, to perform on the stage. It was a tradition.

"As you all know, this is the time where I ask my top Performer's to captivate you all with a routine," Palermo said as soon as she got everyone's attention. "But, because the current Kalos Queen is now a student here at the academy, I would like to make a change to this year's ball."

Suddenly, the performer's looked to one another, wondering if anyone else knew about what Palermo had in mind. In Serena's mind, she was thinking that Palermo wanted Shauna to perform, and have the students take notes. That didn't really seem fitting for an event though. That seemed more fitting for one of her classes.

"I would like Shauna to battle one of my students," Palermo continued. "The best way to examine a trainers bond with their pokemon is through a battle, and I think it would be fitting for my students to see the difference between a professional, and, well... a student. What do you say, Shauna?"

Serena turned her head to look at Shauna who was standing at the edge with Amelia. "It would be an honor," Shauna replied with a beaming smile.

"Excellent," said Palermo. "Since one of my students will be participating in the showcases this year, I think it would be fitting if you battle her."

Palermo's eyes immediately met the honey blonde's. Serena's jaw slightly dropped as the information of her battle with Shauna was still processing through her mind.

Almost everyone around her began looking at the performers, trying to figure out which girl was Palermo's lucky apprentice. Usually, Palermo introduced the student who was participating in the showcases for the year by having them perform their routine last. Serena didn't want to admit that this change certainly made things interesting, and it certainly didn't take that long for everyone to figure out that she was going to be up against the Queen.

"Good luck," Miette whispered beside her.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, the stage was shifted and transformed into a battlefield. Serena stood at her end of the field, thinking of which pokemon she should use for the battle. Her and Shauna may not be battling champions, but Serena was aware that Shauna was pretty good at it. From watching her performances, she knew that her bond with her pokemon was quite strong, and that was most likely going to be the deciding factor for the battle.

The honey blonde turned her attention to Ash who was asked to referee the battle. He encouraged Serena with a smile before announcing the rules in front of the crowd. With a wave of his hand, he commenced the start of the battle, signifying that Serena should have her chosen pokemon already in her mind.

"Alright Florges!" Shauna yelled out, sending out her fairy type pokemon out into the battlefield. "Let's show them our bond!" Shauna winked before posing with her Florges.

"Flooorges!"

Her confidence was beaming, and Serena could already feel their unbreakable bond from just their signature pose. It reminded her of the time when she battled Aria long ago.

Serena gulped, making sure that no one would witness her fear of battling the Queen. She furrowed her eyebrows in determination before reaching into the hidden pocket sewed into her dress. She closed her eyes, reaching for the pokeball that contained the pokemon that was with her during the beginning of her journey.

"C'mon out Delphox!" Serena hollered, releasing her very first pokemon out onto the battlefield.

"Delphox!" Delphox stood up straight, sharing the same feelings as its trainer.

The crowd filled with a few cheers, and whispers. Everyone was excited to see Shauna's Florges battle instead of perform. It was a rare sight to see. If only they felt the same way about Serena and her Delphox.

"You may have the first move." Shauna urged the honey blonde.

Serena bit her bottom lip before looking straight ahead at her Delphox. _We can do this._ She told herself. "Use Fire Blast!" She issued her Delphox.

"Del!" Delphox twirled its branch within its grip before tracing the figure of two mirrored, curved lines with a horizontal line intersecting near the top. The fiery character burned in front of the fire pokemon. With another flick of its wrist, Delphox sent the fiery attack towards Florges who was already ready to overcome any attack thrown at it.

"Dodge it, and use Petal Blizzard!" Shauna commanded, causing her Florges to jump up high above the battlefield. In one swift motion, her Florges avoided the attack, and raised its arms above its head. It twirled beneath the lights, and released a flurry of pink leaves all around it. It was battling, but at the same time it was also delivering a performance.

Serena gasped, entranced by the beauty of the move. The flurry of leaves circled around Florges, slowly picking up pace before finally swooping downwards with the tips of the leaves aiming straight at Delphox.

Serena blinked before quickly urging her Delphox to dodge the attack. Before Delphox was given the chance to pounce from the ground, the flurry of leaves attacked the fox like pokemon, engulfing it in a leafy storm. Delphox yelped, taking a few steps back.

"Hang in there Delphox!" Serena called out to her pokemon. At least, the attack was only able to do half the damage. "Use Mystical Fire!"

As the flurry of leaves began to dissipate, Delphox recomposed itself and got a good handle on its stick. It began tracing circles of fire in front of it. Slowly, the circles moved outwards, looking like a ribbon that was constantly being twirled. Delphox then opened its mouth, releasing a stream of fire.

Before Florges could descend back to the floor, the stream of fire hit it straight on the chest. If there was something Serena remembered from her battling class, it was to attack when the opponent rendered too slow to even dodge it.

"Floorges!" Florges yelped in pain as it hit the battlefield with a loud thud.

Serena glanced back up at Shauna who seemed to look rather impressed. The two met eyes, and a small smirk formed upon Shauna's face. When they were younger, they battled all the time, and Serena rarely won. Shauna always teased her, and said she would never improve if Serena didn't improve along with her. Without her, she managed to improve on her own.

"Alright, Petal Blizzard!" Shauna called out the same attack.

Once again, Florges twirled around, this time on the battlefield. The cluster of leaves twirled around the fairy pokemon. Just like before, the cluster of leaves pointed at its opponent, charging in its direction.

"Fire Blast!"

Delphox's stick burned a bright red-orange as it retraced the same insignia as before. The fiery symbol then charged forward, colliding with the cluster of leaves. Instead of burning them away, the leaves began to burn at the edges, and began heading in the opposite direction.

Serena kept her eyes on the attack, hoping that it would strike Florges.

"Petal Dance!" Shauna ordered, and her Florges was quick to obey.

"Flor...!" Florges hollered as a shroud of leaves twirled ahead at it. The attack charged straight ahead, hitting each separate flaming leaf. The impact caused the attack to return to its original target.

Serena widened her eyes as she watched Delphox try to dodge the attack before getting hit. It was too late though, her Delphox yelped out in pain as the fiery leaves came into contact with its body. The crowd around her roared, and applauded Shauna's great power. Even Ash looked rather surprised by how well Shauna was doing. Serena just knew that he was going to ask her for battle as soon as this one was over.

Serena clenched one of her fists, and gritted her teeth. She improved over the years, but Shauna did too. Her bond with her Florges was profound. She could see that Florges had a great desire to improve along with Shauna. Because of that, its attacks were much stronger.

Her own bond with her Delphox greatly improved too though. Just because Shauna was the current Kalos Queen, that didn't mean that she was better than her. A title had no meaning unless you were able to live up to it. Serena was willing to do whatever she needed to do to show that she deserved that title more than anyone else. Out of all her Pokemon, Delphox knew that the most.

"Okay, Delphox!" Serena called out. "Let's show them how strong we are too! Fire Blast, let's go!"

Like it was reading her own heart, Delphox's fiery attack burned brighter and hotter than before. It aimed its attack straight at the fairy pokemon, engulfing it in its flames. Florges cried out in pain, unable to take the heat. As it fell to the ground, it grunted, feeling the effects of the status condition that the Fire Blast left behind.

Shauna grimaced, staring at her Florges who was having a hard time bringing itself up from the ground. It wasn't giving up though, and Serena could see that this Pokemon was really one tough cookie.

"Petal Dance!"

"Fl-Fl-Florges!" Florges trembled as it tried its best to unleash another attack.

 _Here we go again._ Serena thought as another wave of leaves began to head towards Delphox. She thought for a second, thinking about what she could do to stop this never-ending loop of leafy attacks. She glanced over at Ash, wondering what he would do. He was always known for doing the unexpected. Maybe that's what she had to do, and maybe somehow, it would just work in her favor. "Use Psychic to control all those leaves!" She commanded.

Delphox looked back at its trainer, before abiding to her instructions. With great concentration, Delphox scanned the immediate area, and controlled every single leaf that was flung towards it. The crowd gasped, curious about how the battle was going to end.

Imitating Florges, Delphox controlled the leaves and made the cluster twirl around it before shooting them straight back at its opponent.

"Moonblast!" Shauna commanded.

Florges held its arms above its head, creating an image of the moon behind it. The moon began to glow before unleashing a bright beam of light.

"Fire Blast!" Serena said. She was very much focused on the battle now, and her reaction time was much faster than before.

Delphox swiftly traced the symbol once more before unleashing its fiery flames. The attack collided with the flurry of leaves, boosting them forwards before finally colliding with the beam ahead of it. The emerging attacks caused an explosion, covering the battlefield in a shroud of dust and debris.

Serena waved her hand out in front of her, and let out a cough. The beat of her heart quickened as she stared ahead, trying to see the outcome of the battle. As the puff of grey smoke settled, Serena, and everyone else stared intently into the battlefield. Her eyes widened as she saw her Delphox standing up straight ahead of her with Florges fallen to the ground.

"Serena is the winner!" Ash announced.

 _I won?_ Serena thought, feeling like this battle was unreal. _I beat... Shauna?_

She pinched her arm to make sure it wasn't a dream. Realizing that it wasn't she rushed over to her Delphox to embrace it. "We won!" She said as a few of the performing students ran towards her to congratulate her. She felt like she was on top of the world and winning the crown was going to be incredibly easy.

Serena then looked ahead at Shauna who was conversing with a few other important figures. She had a bright smile on her face, but Serena could tell that it was fake. The crowd around her broke into a dozen whispers, fazed about what just happened. Within all the chaos, Serena continued to stare at the brunette. As she finished talking with Monsieur Pierre, she could see that she excused herself, and left the room through the other unused entrance.

* * *

The honey blonde wasn't sure as to what she was doing, but as everyone continued on with sharing their thoughts about the showcases for the year, she sneaked out the same door and followed Shauna.

"Hey," Serena greeted as Shauna whipped around to face her. The sounds of her heels clicking against the stony staircase must have given it away. She bit her bottom lip, feeling incredibly awkward. All Shauna did was stare at her with a look of anger on her face. Serena gulped. "It was a close battle, huh?"

"It sure was." Shauna said.

"I'd like to battle against you again sometime..." Serena said, attempting to become her friend. She didn't exactly choose the right moment to do so since her win must have taken a toll on Shauna's pride as Kalos Queen. When the honey blonde left the room, a lot of people were saying that she was going to defeat her easily in the competition. If she were in Shauna's shoes, she would hate to hear all of that.

"Sure."

Serena found it incredibly hard to continue with the conversation since Shauna was disinterested in doing so. She's tried a couple times, but Shauna always shot her down. It irked her to the extreme. It's been years since Shauna decided to break off their friendship.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Serena decided to ask. She didn't care if it was rude to ask such a thing. She had the right to know the answer. After all, she couldn't repair the damage she's done if she didn't know what it was. "We were great friends, and you decided to just throw it all away."

Shauna scoffed and crossed her arms.

Serena could tell that she crossed the line when she asked, but she didn't care. Shauna couldn't hate her anymore than she already did.

"If you were my real friend, you would know."

"A real friend tells them when something is wrong. Not hide it, and expect them to figure it out." Serena could hear Alain's voice.

She scanned the immediate area before finally finding the Kalosian Champion coming out of his hiding spot behind a cluster of bushes. With his hands in his pockets, he descended down the small hill, and joined the two girls. "If you had a problem with Serena, you should have talked with her about it," he said. "Her life doesn't revolve around you and your needs." He scoffed. "You're Kalos Queen aren't you? Shouldn't you be aware that putting others before yourself is much more important?"

"Alain..." Serena whispered, trying to shoo him away. He was making the situation worse than it already was.

"Excuse me?" Shauna said, stunned by his harsh words.

Alain raised one of his hands, and got ahold of Serena's flailing arms. "Serena beat herself up for months wondering what she did wrong to lose your friendship. She cried a dozen times because of you. Even when you put her through all of that, she still wants to be your friend." He took a few more steps forward, and stood in front of the honey blonde. "Now, if you ask me, I don't get why she would even want to be your friend. You're nothing but a selfish snob who doesn't deserve to wear the crown."

"Alain!" Serena tried again, but he just wasn't listening.

"You're one to talk!" Shauna shouted. "You can't even battle! You have a a robot doing all of your work!"

"You're right! I do!" He yelled out. "But this isn't about me. This is about Serena. She's the greatest friend I've ever had, and it's my job to make sure that she's always happy!"

Serena's eyes widened at Alain's words. She knew that he cared for her, but she never thought that he would say something like that. Suddenly, she felt a few tears sting the edge of her own eyes. She knew she should have went with the waterproof mascara. Now she was going to head back into the event with smeared makeup, and everyone was going to question it.

"I suggest you find a new roommate, or get the hell out of this school. You don't deserve to be in the same place as Serena." Alain finished off before grabbing onto Serena's wrist.

"What are you doing?" Serena asked as Alain began dragging her out of the area.

"We're leaving!" He said. "You're going to recompose yourself, then you're returning to finish with the event."

Serena turned her head to the right, looking at Shauna. Alain had no right to say any of those harsh things. He was the type to say what was on his mind though, and once he did, Serena knew that there was no stopping him. She felt angry that he said those things, but at the same time he said everything that was on her own mind.

Serena then turned her head to the left, seeing Ash standing just outside the door with the box of macarons in his hands. He looked shocked and uncomfortable. _Did he witness all of that...?_ Serena thought to herself as Alain continued dragging her along. By the look on his face, he surely did.

* * *

 **And thats the end of the chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it.**


	7. Pokemon Habitats 101

**Note:** Hey guys! Short chapter, but I've decided to split it into two. I know you all are aching to see what's happened to Shauna and why she hates Serena so much, but it won't be revealed for another few chapters. I want to add some development there and instead of it just being explained. Plus... this girl has disliked her for years. If you know girls in real life (at least the ones I know), they can hold a grudge for years.

 **TO: Dazzling-Moonblast who wrote:** _With all due respect you're writing a good story but you should try to make more amourshipping moments.I know I read your even if you want to take it slow you have to add some more moments._ _Other than that your story has been long would it be?_

I don't understand part of your question, but from what I do understand, is that you want more amourshipping moments. I already wrote a story that was literally 100% dedicated to just amourshipping moments. This story isn't 100% focused on Serena getting with Ash. It's focused on Serena's life at the school, and what she has to deal with. Yes, amourshipping is apart of it, but it isn't all of it. I already planned most of what I want to happen in the story, but if you're here just to read amourshipping moments, then maybe you shouldn't really read it? I want you to be interested in her other problems too, like Gary or Alain or the Showcases. Not just her with Ash. Thanks. :(

 **Thanks to everyone else who reviewed the chapter! - MusicalArtist185, aliensinnoh, Guest, Mandriel, MANbearPIG01, FantasyLover88.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Pokemon Habitats 101**

The familiar ring of the bell resounded through the classroom. Amongst the piercing sounds, the voices of the students could be heard as they shuffled around the room, each taking their own seat.

Serena groaned while slumping into her seat at the back of the class next to the windows. Usually, she was one to sit at the center front, but whenever she took an elective with Dawn and May, she was always forced to sit at the back with them. This year, the trio decided on taking _Pokemon Habitats 101_ , a beginner's class for aspiring Pokemon Researchers.

The events that took place just last night left the honey blonde in a bitter mood. There was an arising tension between her and Shauna when they returned to their dorm room last night. It was unbearable, and Serena swore that she could feel the discomfort even in her own dreams. Luckily, she was beginning her first elective for the year, and she didn't have to see the brunette for the next two hours. Shauna was a new student, and Serena shouldn't even be seeing her that often, but because of her experience as Kalos Queen, she was bumped up to the same level. The same happened to Ash and Alain… and even Gary.

"Everything will be okay," said Dawn. "Don't worry about it. We got your back!" The bluenette scooted her seat closer to the honey blonde, and placed her hand on her back for some comfort.

May, who sat in front of Serena shifted in her own seat before giving her a small smile. "Yeah, you have us, so you don't have to worry about a thing."

Serena was so lucky to have met these two girls. Despite them being in different programs, they were always there for her.

"Thanks," Serena smiled. She then straightened her spine upon hearing yet another familiar bell- like tone, signifying that it was time for the daily announcements.

"Good morning everyone!" Headmaster Redwood echoed throughout the classroom. "Your final candidates for the upcoming elections have been chosen. Running for student body president will be Serena Yvonne and Gary Oak. You have two weeks to prepare for your platform. For more information about the upcoming election, and the rest of the nominees for vice president and treasurer, please visit the school website. Other than that, the first Showcase of the year for our fellow Performer's will be held in Couramine City. Please visit Palermo for any more questions. Have a fantastic day my fellow Xerneans!"

Dawn who immediately pulled out her PokeTab the second Headmaster Redwood announced the nominees frantically began scrolling down the school webpage.

"What does it say?" May asked, eager to know if anyone was interested enough in running against her as student body treasurer.

"Running for treasurer…" Dawn mumbled as her eyes scanned the screen. "May Maple and… Ava Longbottom." Dawn immediately groaned. The year before, May ran against the same girl, but proved her skills as treasurer by a long shot. "That's no fair."

"You never know," Serena chimed in. "She could have improved."

"Then I'll improve too," said May before looking back at Dawn. "So who's running against you?"

Dawn's eyes widened upon reading the candidates who wanted her spot. "Amelia Fleur, and A-Alain!?" Dawn dropped her PokeTab on her desk before jerking her head to look at the honey blonde. "Since when was Alain into joining the student council?!"

"I'm surprised as you are," said Serena as she reached over to Dawn's tablet. _Alain Silver._ Serena perked up upon reading his name. Unless there was another guy named Alain Silver in the school, then it surely wouldn't be her Alain. The Alain she knew wasn't the type to join school clubs. He did almost everything alone, unless, of course, Serena said otherwise. She definitely had to find him during lunchtime.

"So you guys are taking this class too?" Gary sauntered straight to the trio after just entering the classroom. Behind him stood an out of breath Ash who had two bags draping over his shoulders. From the looks of it, the two were running late, and Gary forced the poor raven haired champion to hold onto his own belongings. It was a good thing that Professor Sycamore had his eyes glued to his binder or else the two would be receiving their second detention.

"You guys are in this class?!" Dawn jumped up from her seat with a scowl on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest before immediately straightening them back out to point at the smug brunette in front of her. "Are you stalking us?"

"My dear Dawn," Gary began. "My eyes are only for Serena." He glanced down at the honey blonde and winked before locking eyes with the enraged bluenette. "Ash and I are in the Researchers Program. If anything, you're in our territory, so I hope that you don't do anything rash while we're in the class."

Ash groaned and Serena shuddered just from witnessing Gary's wink. His narcissism was growing by the second. Serena hated that she was assigned to share a room with Shauna, but she also had to feel bad for Ash. How was he dealing with his ever-growing ego?

"But weren't you two bumped up!? Shouldn't you be in some level three class?! Not a beginners one?"

"Well," Ash said rubbing his nape. "Gary and I were late when signing up for electives, so we had to settle with taking this… Professor Sycamore said it wouldn't count as an elective since it's our program and all, but he didn't want us having a spare either…" He finished off as Serena sat comfortably in her seat.

"So, Dawn," said Gary. "Are you offering your seat to me? Since you're standing up, I view this seat as vacant."

"My stuff is on the desk. This seat clearly is not vacant," Dawn scowled while glaring at him.

"But I would like to sit next to the girl who owes me a date."

"Well, too bad!"

"Well, too bad is correct," said Professor Sycamore. He finished looking through his lesson plans, and was now standing behind the podium at the front of the class. Ash took a seat in the empty desk he was standing beside, and Gary did the same.

The entire class who was engrossed with their own conversations looked to the front at Professor Sycamore. The ebony haired instructor leaned forwards and rested his arms on top of the podium. With a calm expression on his face he said, "There will be assigned seating in this class."

"Assigned seating?" Most people in the room questioned out of sync.

Serena took a quick glance at all the students around her. They all looked disappointed. After all, most students matched their required electives with their friends from other programs.

"Yes. Today marks the first year of a coed school. Until the end of the semester, every girl will be partnered with a boy, and you will be seated next to each other. You will also be expected to work together on assignments. Let's show the school board that the addition of boys to this academy was not a wrong move." He then cleared his throat. "Especially with what happened during the school assembly." He finished off before raising one of his eyebrows while meeting eyes with the honey blonde.

Serena slumped down in her seat, and felt the dozen eyes slowly turn in her direction. She bit her bottom lip before shifting her eyes from left and right to see a bunch of the girls eye her with bewilderment. They all knew it wasn't like her to pull off such a rebellious stunt. She didn't want to do it, but for Alain, she was willing to do almost anything. That's what friends were for after all.

The boys on the other hand… they didn't know her, so they all stared at her in wonder. She surely hoped those looks weren't going to affect the polls. Even Ash looked to be discombobulated, but as Serena met his eyes, the raven haired champion gave her a smile of comfort. Serena smiled back, and watched as he opened his mouth. It looked like he was going to say something, but he was immediately pushed aside by Gary's head coming into her view. The brunette grinned widely, and as he did, he pointed at her. He then immediately pulled his hand back and pointed at himself before making an 'okay' sign with his hand. It didn't take Serena much effort to know that Gary would be willing to pull off another rebellious stunt with her again.

"Yes, well," The professor cleared his throat, which caused everyone to look back to the front of the class. "I usually pair everyone off based on what I see in class, but because I'm seeing a lot of new faces, I'll just have the girls draw a name from this cup." He reached from beneath the podium and pulled out a white mug labeled _#1 PROFESSOR_. A mug that Serena and a few other girls bought for his birthday the year before. "Now," he said. "While I'm walking around the class with this mug. Gary and Ash will hand out your first assignment. That way, they won't receive detention for being late."

As Professor Sycamore reached the back corner, Serena reached into the mug and pulled out her own slip of paper. She unfolded the small piece of parchment, and was relieved to see that Gary wasn't going to be her partner. She wished that Dawn felt the same way, but sadly, she was the one who had to pair off with the narcissistic brunette.

Serena stifled a giggle as Dawn began to beg May to switch with her. She then looked up at Ash as he stood in front of her desk while handing her a copy of the assignment.

"Looks like we're going to be partners for the semester," she said with a smile.

"Huh?" Ash's eyes slightly widened. His cheeks then burned a rosy shade of pink as Serena smiled at him. "I-I'll be looking forward to it," he stammered.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Catching Up**

"Is it okay for me to ask what's going on between you and Shauna…?" he asked as Serena began answering the next question on their assignment.

"You can ask me anything, Ash. It's been awhile, but I already feel like I can talk about anything with you." He blushed, and Serena teared her eyes away from the questions in front of her to look at him. "To be honest though, I don't really know what happened. I'm still trying to figure it out."

* * *

 **Note:** 'Kay, so I have decided to add small summaries like this for the next chapters to come. What do you guys think? Do you like little snippets of the next chapter? haha. If it makes any of you amourshipping fans happy, the next chapter will have its moments.


	8. Catching Up

**Note:** Hey guys! How you all doing? :) Here is the next chapter!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! **FantasyLover88, Q-A Authoress, Nexxus176, Sol, aliensinnoh, Pokemonmeat, Guest, Dazzling-Moonblast, and gabed1298.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Catching Up**

"Alright everyone," The ebony haired professor called out. He scanned the area, looking at the students that were spread around the empty field. "Behind you is the forest. After attending the assembly, you should all know the boundaries of it. Am I correct?" He eyed each student, making sure that they were all paying attention.

"Yes, professor." A few called out impatiently. They were all anticipating their time out of the classroom.

"Very well then." He nodded firmly before pursing his lips. "Your task is to complete the questions, and be back in class twenty minutes before the bell. Even if you don't finish, return to class immediately."

As Professor Sycamore continued with his instructions, Serena felt an elbow jam against her side. "What?" she whispered while looking straight ahead at the professor who was announcing the assignment as their homework if they weren't able to complete it.

"Switch with me, please." Dawn pleaded. "I'm not going to pass this class being his partner."

"I would…" Serena whispered. "…if it wasn't Gary." The honey blonde glanced over at the chattering brunette who was most likely whispering some nonsense into Ash's ear.

"I have to run against Alain and Amelia during the elections. Now I have to deal with him as my partner? It's too much."

Serena turned to face the bluenette as everyone around them slowly began their walk to the forest. "I have my own problems, Dawn. Plus I have to run against Gary in the election." She placed her hand on her friends shoulder. "You should be begging May." The two looked over to the pair that was ducking beneath a few branches. "Arnold looks like a smart dependable guy. Plus, he seems pretty quiet too. Total opposite of Gary."

"I already begged her! Because of that, she won't switch!"

Serena giggled. "Then you're out of luck. Besides, we only have this class twice a week. I'm sure you'll be fine." She patted Dawn on the shoulder as Ash approached them.

"Shall we start our assignment?" he asked, biting his lower lip.

"Yeah," Serena smiled brightly while turning her head to face him. "Let's try to finish before class ends. It will give me more time to focus on my campaign and practice for the upcoming showcase."

"I'll give it my best shot," he said as they headed towards the forest. "Good luck, Dawn." He whipped his head around at the sulking bluenette. "You're going to need it."

Serena stifled a laugh as they maneuvered around a few bushes.

Once they reached a spot that they deemed good enough to examine the wild Pokémon, the two sat in the grass.

The honey blonde lifted the assignment to her view and began reading the first few questions on the paper. _Describe the habitat around you. What types of Pokémon do you think are living in this area? Name three different Pokémon you see._ Serena looked up from the paper, and began scanning the area. _Well, it's a forest, with lots of trees and shrubs…_ She thought to herself while tapping her pencil against her bottom lip. She then slightly shook her head upon realizing that this was an assignment she was supposed to work on with her partner.

"So how would you describe the area?" she asked while whipping her head around to look at the raven haired champion.

"H-Huh?" He gulped, immediately looking away to focus on his surroundings. "It's, uh, really green…"

Serena blinked several times upon seeing him become so jumpy. She watched as he shifted his weight on the grass before adjusting his cap.

Was he looking at her?

A small smile formed upon the honey blonde's face. She's never seen him so fidgety before. Perhaps it was because Pikachu wasn't there. He told her that they were spending less time together, but they were probably spending even lesser time now that he was attending the academy. Students weren't allowed to bring their Pokémon to class unless stated otherwise. It was considered a distraction, so they were only allowed to bring them around in their PokeBalls. But, Pikachu hated that…

"Well," she said. "We are in a forest. I expect it to be really green." She chuckled, causing the boy to blush. "We can say there's a lot of trees, and bushes. I don't think Professor Sycamore needs a descriptive essay."

"Yeah," he said, glancing over at Serena's page. He began writing his answer on his paper.

"So, what was Gary pestering you about?" she asked as they continued onto the next question. "I'm surprised Professor Sycamore didn't pick on you two since he wouldn't stop talking to you on the field." She glanced over at Ash's paper to see that their answers were fairly similar. She then looked up, searching for any Pokémon that were hiding around the area. Upon seeing an Oddish frolicking about, she wrote it on her paper.

"He really wants to be your partner," he answered.

"Thank you for not switching with him." she replied, relieved. Alain was probably going to give her a handful for being partnered with Ash, but she would rather go through that than deal with the arrogant Gary.

Poor Dawn. She wondered what she was going through at the moment. They probably haven't even started the assignment.

"I really wanted to be your partner too," he said.

She stopped writing her sentence to look at him. She was shocked by his answer, and as she stared at him with widened eyes, Ash looked back at her with a reddened face. "Really?" she asked.

"Well," he began, rubbing the backside of his neck. "I haven't talked to you in years. Dawn and May wrote to me all the time, but you never did. I just knew about you from what they said in the letters."

The guilt started to travel up her gut. It never occurred to her that Ash would notice her lack of effort to keep their friendship. He was so willing to go to Alola after his loss in the Kalos League. It made Serena feel like he wouldn't even remember her. It took him some time to even remember her from Professor Oak's summer camp in the first place.

She couldn't tell him that she was avoiding him though. He wasn't allowed to know about her perseverance to diminish the flame that contained all of her feelings for him. It was too embarrassing.

"I'm sorry… I always meant to write to you, but as soon as I started, something came up, and I forgot about it," she lied, and was feeling a tad bit guilty about it too.

"Ahh, I see." He lowered his head before returning his attention back to the assignment. "That makes sense. Dawn and May did say that you were always busy with the student council, and practicing your performances. They even sent me a video of you practicing once."

Serena perked up. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow before throwing her pencil onto her notepad. The lines on her forehead wrinkled as she began to think of the million times that Dawn and May filmed her practicing her routines. It was something Palermo recommended to help everyone examine the moves they needed to work on.

She didn't think that those two would send a video to Ash though. She really wanted to yell at them for that, but it was too late now.

"Yeah, you've improved a lot. I remember when you had a hard time just trying to attempt one flip, but now, you're doing a whole bunch of stunts on the stage. It's really exciting to see." He complimented, bringing a tint of pink to Serena's cheeks.

She knew she's improved a lot over the years, but hearing it come from someone else felt entirely different. She felt happy whenever she was able to perfect a certain move, but having someone else point it out made her training feel like it was much more worth it.

"Thanks Ash." She smiled before reading the next question.

"Plus," he continued. "Your battle yesterday was pretty awesome. I think you'd have a chance in the league." He lifted his index finger to his cheek and scratched it in a shy manner. He then glanced over at Serena's paper, making sure that they were working on the same question. Despite not talking about the assignment in front of them, they surely were copying their ideas from each other's pages.

Serena giggled. "I don't think the life of a Pokémon Master is for me. That's something fitting for you."

"Well, if you ever decide to give it a try, I'm here to help you out."

"You actually help me all the time, Ash," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" He stopped writing to look back at her.

"I took a few battle classes, and sometimes Palermo wants the performers to battle with one another. Most of the time, I think about what you would do. Your battling style always amazed me. Whenever I'm in a pinch, I always think - _what would Ash do?_ " she said. "And most of the time, I win because of it." It was a strange thing for her to say. She tried so hard to forget him, but whenever she thought about him in battles, it felt completely different.

"Re-Really?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she said. She looked back to her paper, rereading her sentences. All of this talking could have messed with her sentence structure, and everyone knew that Professor Sycamore liked proper grammar.

The honey blonde placed the tip of her mechanical pencil below her words, and began gliding it along the page while reading each word. She mumbled to herself as she did, and then glanced over the remainder of questions.

"Is it okay for me to ask what's going on between you and Shauna…?" he was almost reluctant to ask. The hesitancy in his voice gave it all way.

As Serena began answering the next question on their assignment, she said, "You can ask me anything, Ash. It's been awhile, but I already feel like I can talk about anything with you." He blushed, and Serena teared her eyes away from the questions in front of her to look at him. "To be honest though, I don't really know what happened. I'm still trying to figure it out." She sighed as her mind began to wander over to Shauna again. And then over to Alain's outburst, and Ash witnessing it. "I'm sorry you had to witness all of that," she said.

"It happens," he said. "I wish I was here when your friendship took a hit. Maybe I could have helped with preventing it."

"Maybe…" Serena trailed off as the events of losing Shauna began to scroll through her mind. She shook her head as she returned to her work. "It's all in the past now. I can't do much about it."

"But… _Alain_ helps you cope with it, right?" he hesitated to ask.

"I wouldn't say he helps me cope with it, but he listens to me vent about it. May, Dawn, and Miette help me cope with my problems, but their techniques don't really prolong my worry free period. Sometimes I wish someone could just make me feel okay with all of it, you know?" She looked back at Ash who was staring at her, bewildered. "I just wish I could get through my problems without a single worry or fear. I mean, they're always going to be there, but I just want to go through it feeling at ease."

"I-" Ash blinked several times with his lips pursed together.

Serena giggled as she stared at the flustered champion. "I kinda got serious there, huh?" She glanced over at her paper before looking back over to his. "We're finished our assignment," she said before taking a look at her watch. "And we still have an extra twenty minutes until we have to return back to class. Did you want to grab a snack at the cafeteria?"

"Well." Ash sighed with a slight look of disappointment on his face. "I actually still have your macarons," he said with a smile. He rummaged through his bag until pulling out the little box of confections.

"I forgot about those," Serena said as she grabbed the box from him. She peeled the small bit of tape that was sealing it together before opening it to reveal the three pistachio macarons.

"I was going to give them to you yesterday after the battle. Since you won, I thought you'd like to eat one, but then… you know."

"Yeah," Serena chuckled. "I really am sorry for all of that." She handed him a macaron before divulging herself in her own.

"Because of yesterday I have so many questions, but I don't want to overwhelm you with all of them."

"You know, I have a lot of questions about Alola, but I don't want to overwhelm you with all of them either."

"Then, maybe when we have more time, we can catch up more?" he asked as Serena split the third macaron in half for them to share.

"That would be nice," she said, actually feeling like bringing Ash back into her life was a genuinely good move. "It's a date!" She teased.

"D-Date?" His face reddened upon hearing the word.

Serena giggled. "I'm kidding. You're jumpy whenever something revolving around the topic of love comes up. Are you sure you didn't have a secret girlfriend in Alola?"

"If I had one, I think I would know," he muttered beneath his breath as Serena began stuffing her notebook and pencil case back into her backpack.

After she finished, she stood up from the grass, and began patting away any loose strands that were sticking to her school uniform. "We still have a bit of time before we have to return to class. Do you mind coming with me to the performers faculty to pick something up?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Just a few accessories I want to add to my dress for the upcoming showcase in Couramine City."

* * *

The honey blonde closed the door behind her after handing the raven haired champion a few ribbons and glittery rhinestones. She then thanked him before proceeding to stuffing the crafty accents into her backpack.

"I wonder what your dress is going to look like," he said, stunned by the amount of accessories she needed to grab.

"You should come to the showcase then," she said as she fixed the straps around her shoulders. She glanced over at her watch again, noticing that they had to be back in class in three minutes. "We should go back to class now. I don't want to receive another detention for not abiding to his rules."

The honey blonde began picking up her pace as she turned the corridor with Ash following close behind her.

"Hello! Shauna! That's not how you do it! If you're going to do it, you should do it right!" Serena heard a voice snap as they reached the lounging area that was located by the front entrance.

The curious honey blonde came to a stop before turning to her right to see Amelia, her henchmen, and Shauna sitting at a table. Lying around the area were a couple sewing machines, and fabric, and some rhinestones.

"I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE THIS!" Amelia snarled, causing Ash to come to a stop just in front of her. "MY ASSIGNMENT IS DUE NEXT PERIOD AND YOU'RE RUINING THE DESIGN!"

Serena walked down the small plight of stairs and squinted her eyes to get a better look at Shauna. She looked sad, and stressed out.

"Even these idiots here do it better than you!" Amelia grabbed the dress from Shauna's grip and threw it to the ground in front of her.

The honey blonde furrowed her eyebrows in anger before clenching her fists. She stomped over to Amelia, and tapped on her shoulder.

The angry performer whipped around to look at the honey blonde. "What do you want?" she snarled. "Can't you see I'm busy here?"

"Why are you being so rude to Shauna?" Serena asked. "She's the Kalos Queen. You have no right to treat her that way."

"In this school, I can treat her any way I want," said Amelia. "It's none of your business anyway."

"Outside of school, she can ruin your career as a performer, so I suggest you treat her better." Serena shot back. She was tired of Amelia's schemes and attitude. She always got people to complete her homework, and only treated people nicely if she wanted something from them. How was it possible that she even got into the program? How did Palermo not see her revolting attitude?

"She doesn't have the guts to do that. She would have done it already if she had any."

"I may not be close to her anymore, but I know for a fact that Shauna has more guts than you." She glanced over at Shauna before narrowing her eyes at Amelia.

She then whipped around before stomping out of the building.

Ash followed behind her as she began picking up her pace. As she descended a few more stairs she raised her wrist to take a look at her watch. They were going to be late, but if they ran, there was a chance that Professor Sycamore wouldn't give them an earful.

"Serena?" Ash called out to her as her speed continued to increase.

"Yeah?"

He grabbed onto her wrist, and brought her to a halt. He then took a few steps forward until he was in front of the honey blonde. "I don't think you have to worry about Shauna anymore," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because you stood up for her. That's what true friends do. When she realizes that, she'll be ready to talk to you."

"I don't know… you would have done the same."

"Trust me, okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "And if she doesn't come around, then that's when you truly should let go. Don't bring yourself down over something you don't know. Just breath." He smiled before turning on his heel. "Now let's go before we get in trouble by Professor Sycamore."

Serena slightly smiled as she followed behind him. Maybe Ash could be that friend who keeps her worries and fears away. There was always something about him that made her let go of her negative thoughts.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Couramine Showcase**

"Welcome to the Couramine City Showcase everyone!" Monsieur Pierre greeted with a buoyant attitude.

XXXX

"Serena… Your dress... It's ruined…" Dawn pointed out. "May and I were only gone for a second."

"What am I going to do? I won't be able to perform in the freestyle round!"

* * *

I seriously need to have some kind of format with my notes. haha.

 _Dazzling-Moonblast_ asked why isn't Ash running for a post in the student council.

I didn't really want to have everyone character be a part of it. I don't know if you get what I mean. Sometimes when I read things, for instance, everyone needs to have a boyfriend/girlfriend in the end or everyone has to be 100% part of something. I don't really like that. I like to have some people in, and some out. If you get it. Alain running isn't a huge deal either, it will be explained in the next chapter. :)

Also, the Shauna's grudge will be revealed I think 3 chapters from now. :)

I hope you guys still enjoyed the chapter! Leave your thoughts in a review or PM. thanks! :)


	9. Couramine Showcase

**NOTE:** Hey guys! Yeah, I was very stoked to witness the kiss between Ash  & Serena. Some people are still claiming that it might not even be a kiss, but look at it! It definitely is. :) I was squealing for days. My boyfriend thought I was crazy. LMAOO. Anywho, I did write a short drabble on the kiss if any of you guys are interested or haven't checked it out. It's called **Kalos Kiss**. :)

Anywho, onto replying to some reviews. :)

 **Guest:** _Umm is it me or the Ash in this fanfic doesn't look like Ash at all,He chases after Serena like a Love crazed puppy and not the other way around and Serena seems to much in Alain :3_

 **Hmm... I never intended for Ash to seem like a love sick puppy. I just wanted to show that he did like her. haha. I might have forced it too much, but again, I really wanted to do something different. Most stories are about how Serena gets his attention, and as much as I like those, I just kept thinking, well what if the roles were reversed? Hence, my story. AND Serena isn't into Alain. They are just really close. As I have to point for like the 4574895784935 time.**

 **gabed1298:** _..._ _Also will Dawn and May get a more active or bigger role?..._

 **Well, the whole story is to be in Serena's POV, but Dawn and May will be seen quite a lot. In fact, for now, I think they might be seen more than Ash. haha I have thought about making ONE-SHOTS around the story that contain other peoples POV. For example, maybe a short one-shot detailing Ash's feelings during, possibly, a date in the future. *cough* Spoiler Alert. *cough* or just a random thing thats going on in Dawn's life. I'm not sure yet. If you're interested, let me know! :)**

 **Q-A Authoress & FantasyLover88:** _You both asked about Serena's ruined dress._ **You'll find out after reading this chapter! :)**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. (PunishedEagle88** _(Nice to see that you made your way to this story)_ **, Guest, Pokemonmeat, skyblu23, MANbearPIG01, aliensinnoh) & Bluejack22 who left a PM. :)**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Couramine Showcase**

A sense of nostalgia wafted over Serena's senses as she walked through the backdoors of the Couramine City auditorium. She stepped over to the right, and leaned towards the wall as a busy backstage director darted through the hall while barking orders into her headset. She glanced at the open dressing rooms while walking with haste, in search of her own. Most of the rooms were already filled with the many contestants who were readying themselves for the first round.

She was feeling incredibly nervous, but not nervous enough to taint her excitement. She could not wait to set foot in her dressing room, and ready herself like a professional. She especially couldn't wait to prance about on the stage and dazzle the crowd with her skills as a blooming queen. Even if she didn't know what challenges laid ahead of her, the honey blonde could already feel the princess key dangling around her currently empty keychain. She didn't mean to flaunt her overflowing amount of confidence, but she couldn't help it. It was her time to shine, and her years of training were finally going to pay off.

With a bright smile plastered across her face, Serena took a left before noticing a giant maroon colored plaque with her name engraved on it in white. Serena took a step towards the door, examining the plaque. On the corner was an image of the school insignia – a silhouette of Xernea's head. Now any contestant passing by her room would know that she was a student at Kalos Academy. And if you were in the Performer's business, seeing a Kalos Academy plague surely put you on your toes. They were trained by the best in the best way possible after all.

The honey blonde took a deep breath before grabbing onto the golden knob. She jiggled it in her grasp before finally opening the door. As she stepped into the room, her eyes immediately rested upon the individual who was standing next to her vanity table.

"Alain!" She called out loud, surprised.

"Hey," he said with a small grin as the honey blonde dropped her oversized duffel bag onto the loveseat that was located across from the vanity table.

Serena eyed the boy in curiosity before taking a few steps forward until she was right in front of him. "Where have you been?" she asked. "Don't tell me that you've been skipping school!" She glowered at him, before raising her hand up to his forehead. She tucked the fingernail of her index finger behind her thumb, intending to flick his forehead if he were to provide her with the wrong answer. "Dawn's been bombarding me about the surprise we found in the school site for the upcoming election." She raised an eyebrow, referring to why he was running for student body vice president.

"I just want to be close to you. That's all," he answered, causing Serena to lower her arm, so that she could ready herself to flick his forehead.

Before she could even flick him, Alain pulled his hand from out of his jacket pocket, and gripped her wrist. He then pulled it downwards, foiling her plans, and kept his grip tightened on her to prevent her from trying to flick him again.

Serena squirmed for quite sometime, until finally pulling herself away from his grasp. She then crossed her arms, and eyed him in a suspicious manner. "Why did you really sign up?"

Alain shrugged before looking away. "Professor Sycamore forced me to sign up. He really wants me to participate in school activities. Just tell Dawn that she doesn't have to worry about a thing. I don't intend on winning, and if she needs help with eliminating Amelia, then all she has to do is ask."

"Dawn will be relieved," she smiled, feeling relieved herself. "So then why have you been skipping school?"

"I wasn't skipping," he answered as he pressed his lower back against the vanity table, placing his hand back into his pocket. "I was sent to Lumiose City for a few days to talk about my hearing."

"Really?" Serena perked up. "What did they say? Will you be able to keep your spot as Kalos Champion?"

"Not exactly. At the end of the school year I'm scheduled to rebattle The Elite Four and Diantha. Headmaster Redwood is setting up a training regime as we speak." He shrugged. "As for now, my AlainBot will still be taking over for me."

"Really?" Serena smiled widely. "That's great. You better not blow it though!" She warned him with a stern expression before slightly tiptoeing to give him a hug.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and as she did, Alain pulled his hands out of his pockets to embrace her.

"I really hope that you give it your all," she said quietly, truly hoping that he won't mess up the hospitality that the academy was giving him.

"I'll… try my best," he replied.

"Hey, uhm… Am I interrupting something? I can come back later…" A voice sounded from the door.

"Pika…"

Serena pulled herself away from Alain's grasp, and turned around to see Ash with his favorite buddy perched up on his shoulder. As she took her focus away from Alain, she heard a sigh escape from his mouth, but decided to ignore it.

"Hey Ash," she greeted with a welcoming smile before also greeting Pikachu. "Now this is the sight I'm used too."

"Yeah, it's great to be able to bring Pikachu here." He smiled. "It really isn't that big of a deal though. Pikachu's been enjoying all the Pokémon facilities back at school. I almost feel jealous."

Serena giggled. "I was jealous at first too when I first attended the school." She extended her arm out to pet Pikachu.

"Chaa~," It responded in complete bliss.

"So, what are you doing here Ash?" Serena asked as she continued with petting his buddy.

"I'm a guest judge for the showcase," he answered. "I knew you would be here, and I just wanted to wish you luck, but… I think I came at a bad time." His face slightly turned crimson from witnessing the two friends hug.

"It's okay. Alain doesn't mind," she said, and Alain immediately scoffed at her comment. "It's really sweet of you to come here and wish me luck," she continued, ignoring Alain. She pulled her hand away from Pikachu's ear and reached out to Ash's hand. "Thanks," she smiled while loosely holding onto his fingertips. She squeezed a few of the fingers in her grasp, causing Ash's face to completely redden.

"Alright," Alain cleared his throat as he stood up straight from the vanity. "You're a guest judge, right?" He sauntered over to the two, and immediately pulled Serena's hand away from Ash's. He then flung his arm around Ash's shoulder, and rested his hand on his upper arm due to his other shoulder already being occupied. "I've been a guest judge many times. Let me show you the ropes."

"Really?" Ash said. "That's great. I'm actually kinda nervous. I've never been a guest judge before."

As Ash continued with sharing his worries, Alain glanced back at Serena, and nodded his head in shame. Serena knew that she was going to receive that lecture from Alain soon, but that's what he got for being away for a few days. Ash's friendliness was bound to creep onto her, and without Alain there, there was no one to keep him away from her (even if Serena didn't mind it).

Serena simply smiled at her disappointed friend, but immediately averted her attention away from him as Dawn, May, and Miette entered the room.

"A-Alain?!" Dawn questioned as the two boys exited the room. The bluenette then locked her eyes on the honey blonde, and Serena could already tell that she wanted an answer about the election.

"You have nothing to worry about," she said. "If you want more information, you should talk to him."

"No way," The bluenette said as she placed her makeup box on the vanity. "Alain's scary."

Serena giggled. Almost everyone was scared of talking to Alain. She found it amusing, and surprisingly, Alain found it amusing too.

"Yes, well, on the bright side, Serena doesn't have to worry about anyone stealing her boyfriend away from her." Miette commented, while opening up Serena's duffel bag.

The honey blonde groaned as she watched Miette carefully pull out her outfits for the upcoming challenges. "Thanks for helping me out you guys," Serena said, deciding to ignore Miette's comment. "I hope your teachers are okay with skipping todays classes."

"Performing and Coordinating are pretty similar," said May. "If anything, our teachers enforced it. We get to experience a bit of the action, and they are happy with it, just as long as we record, and write down a report on what we've been doing."

"That's why I'm doing your makeup," Dawn said with a wide grin.

"Great, well we have an hour before the showcase begins, so lets organize everything." Serena said while maneuvering herself around the quaint dressing room to close the door.

As she reached the door, she looked outside to see Shauna passing by with Amelia and the rest of her followers. As the small group neared her dressing room, Amelia's laughs grew louder with obnoxiousness.

"Oh, hi Serena," Amelia greeted with contempt. "Good luck." She smirked before continuing her walk down the hall. Her followers giggled, and trailed behind her, but Shauna stayed for a second, and simply gave Serena a nod. Before the honey blonde could say anything, Shauna looked away and continued her walk in the opposite direction.

"I get why Shauna is here, but why is Amelia here?" Dawn asked, disgusted by her presence.

"Whenever one of the students in our program are allowed to perform in the showcases, all the students in the same year have to come to the showcase for support. It's mandatory," Miette answered while inspecting Serena's dress for any wrinkles or out of place embroidery.

"She shouldn't even be allowed in the program. Her personality is the complete opposite of what a Kalos Queen should be," said May.

"Well," Serena closed the door. "I'm sure Palermo has a reason for having her in the program. In the meanwhile, let's just focus on getting me ready before the first event."

* * *

The honey blonde patiently waited behind the curtains as Monsieur Pierre welcomed the crowd to the first Showcase of the year. The anticipating teen looked to her right at her Altaria, and stroked one of its many feathers.

"Are you ready Altaria?" she asked while looking up at her fluttering Pokémon.

"Altar!" It squawked with excitement.

Serena smiled before looking straight ahead at the obstacle ahead of her. The task assigned for the physical round was announced to them the second they set foot on stage. The crowd, and judges were going to find out the challenge any second now, and as they waited, their professional rock climber and belayer for the round were getting the contestants into their gear. They were taking extra precautions; making sure that no ones gear was going to fail them on their way to the top.

The only thing that all the contestants were worrying about was how high the climb was going to be. Their current obstacle was still being shielded by another set of curtains. The wall could possibly be as high as the roof, which was a far way up.

"Please face the audience," A backstage worker said as she passed the twenty contestants who were on the stage. The other twenty were currently on standby. It was going to be a shame to have thirty of them eliminated after the completion of the physical round.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Shall we begin with the physical round?" Monsieur Pierre announced as the curtains in front of them slowly started to ascend.

The cheers of the crowd grew louder with anticipation, and all the energy was making Serena's adrenaline rush throughout her system. She slightly closed her eyes as the bright lights of the stage blinded her. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she looked around the auditorium, amazed by the amount of people that were there. Due to all the stage lights, she couldn't see Miette or the rest of her classmates in the crowd, but she could see the panel of judges, and Ash, who looked stunned by the amount of contestants.

Serena slightly giggled at his reaction. The last time he must have witnessed a showcase was when they had three girls go up at once to compete.

The cheers slowly died down as Shauna took her place on the stage next to Monsieur Pierre. She faced the crowd and introduced herself before turning her attention to the mass of girls who were awaiting their challenge. "It should be obvious by now, but, just to make it much clearer, your task for the physical round will be rock climbing." Shauna announced while looking at a few index cards in front of her.

Serena slightly turned her head upon hearing the curtains behind her starting to ascend.

"As you make your way to the top, you will have to collect five flags, and hand each flag to your assisting Pokémon. Once you reach the top, someone will count your flags, making sure you have the right amount. If you don't, you must return to the wall and collect the remainder. If you're cleared, you may sound the buzzer, and the assistant will add your name to the system where your place will appear on the screen. The top five here on the stage will make it into the creativity round with the top five who are currently on standby. Good luck everyone."

Shauna curtsied to the group of girls. Serena then turned around to observe the wall in front of her. It was as she expected. The wall almost reached the top of the roof. If they didn't add the buzzer on a platform at the very top, it could have been much higher.

The honey blonde took a deep breath before looking at all the girls around her. Some were more nervous than others. Thankfully, she wasn't all that nervous. She had to thank May after. She was the one who forced her into going rock climbing with her during the summer.

Serena looked over to her belayer who was giving her a thumbs up. She then looked to her Altaria who was ready to complete the challenge. In a blink of an eye, the buzzer sounded through the auditorium, signifying the start of the race.

The honey blonde jumped up high, grabbing a flag that was closer to the ground. Her Altaria gripped it in its beak as Serena began her climb up the wall.

 _Alright. Just take it slow. Don't focus on the ones around you._ Serena thought to herself while she pulled her weight up the board. She placed her right foot on a jutting stone, making sure that her foot wasn't going to slip as she hoisted herself up. She grabbed another flag on her way up, and tightened her grip on the rock as she handed it to her fluttering Altaria.

Serena continued her way up the wall, grabbing each flag that was on her path. She grabbed another one, and before she knew it, another one.

The sweat began to drip down her forehead, and her breathing shallowed as she continued with climbing the wall. Her pace began to slow down, but the same was happening to all the girls around her. She stopped for a second, looking up to see that she was only a few stones away from reaching her final flag, and the very top.

Motivated by the lack of stones needed to surpass the round, Serena quickened her pace on the wall, and reached for her last and final flag. She grabbed it, and handed it to her Altaria before finally, pulling her entire weight onto the platform on top of the wall. Without taking a moment to pace her breaths, she grabbed the flags from the grip of Altaria's beak, and handed it to one of the ladies at the top.

"Clear," said the woman as she finished counting the flags.

Serena smiled widely as she pressed down on the buzzer, causing the auditorium to resound with a piercing ring. She looked down to the rest of the contestants who immediately began climbing with haste upon hearing the buzzer ring for the first time. The competition intensified, and Serena could see all of them beginning to choke. She felt sad for those who weren't going to make it, but that was the life of a performer. You either make it to the next round, or you don't.

She looked up the giant screen located on the right side of the room that showed the placing of the contestants. In giant bold letters was her name with a giant avatar of her beside the number one.

"One?" Serena questioned. "I placed first?!"

"Congratulations," said the woman. "You will be competing in the next round."

* * *

Serena sighed as she exited the stage. She walked down the set of stairs to Dawn, May, and Miette who began congratulating her for passing the communication round. Around them were her Pokémon who were happy to see her advancement into the final round.

She passed the physical and creativity round with ease and now she just passed the communications round which consisted of her trying to get a young boy and his Pokémon together after a fight. She barely passed the round though. She placed third place, which was the final slot that allowed her access into the freestyle performance. It was disappointing to come in third place, but that wasn't going to stop her from working on her communication skills the second she was back at the academy.

"You did great, Serena." Dawn complimented as she handed her a bottle of water.

"Yeah," Miette agreed. "I wouldn't have made it pass the physical round. I've never rock climbed in my life. Palermo should seriously add more to our training regime."

"Well, there's too many possibilities for the physical round," said Serena. "The best we can do is work out our muscles."

"I guess," Miette shrugged as they turned a corner to Serena's dressing room.

Something looked rather off though as they came to a stop in front of the now opened door.

"I thought I closed it," Dawn said as she walked to the door to see Serena's duffel bag lying on the ground. "Oh no…" she whispered as she pushed the door wide open.

"What is it?" May asked as she stood behind Dawn.

Miette and Serena followed, and their eyes widened in shock to see the entirety of the room trashed.

Serena's eyes darted all over the place, unsure of what to be concerned about. All of Dawn's makeup was scattered across the floor. Most of her palettes were broken and all the powder was smeared across the floor with chunks of lipstick and glitter. All of their bags, and belongings were also all over the place, and Serena could make out some of May and Dawn's homework sticking to the smeared lipstick. On the bright side, they were carrying their camera with them to document their experience. So, at least, their camera was safe.

"Serena… Your dress… It's ruined." Dawn pointed out. "May and I were only gone for a second. We just wanted to congratulate you on making it to the last round." These two were watching her from the television screen instead of in the crowd to work on their homework and ready her belongings for the next round.

Serena's eyes wandered to the right side of the room where her dress for the freestyle performance was hanging on a rack. The bottom of her dress was torn to pieces, and all of the ribbons, and rhinestones she sewed onto it in the last few days were torn out of the dress, and scattered around the room. The only thing kept in tack was her bejeweled bustier. "What am I going to do?" she faltered as she walked into the room. She fell to the couch in front of her, biting her lower lip. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help but feel the tears sting the edge of her eyes. "I won't be able to perform in the freestyle round!" Her Pokémon gathered by her side, feeling her sorrow.

Miette hesitated to speak once she unzipped the duffel bag containing a few other dresses. "These… These ones are destroyed too…"

"Who would do something like this?" asked May while getting on her knees to pick up the remnants of makeup.

Dawn shrugged with crossed arms. "Isn't it obvious? It's most likely Amelia."

"I don't know," Miette said. "To be honest, anyone in the program is a suspect. A lot of girls tend to be jealous of those who get to compete. Especially when they are being trained by Palermo."

"Amelia is still number one on my list."

"Serena…" The Kalos Queen swung by the room, looking down at a clipboard. "You'll be performing last... As Kalos Queen, I like to wish those entering the freestyle round…" She looked up from her clipboard to give the girl a smile, but her expression immediately faltered upon looking at the room. "…luck…Wh-What happened?" Shauna blinked several times as her eyes fell upon the bejeweled bustier.

"I-I don't think I can compete," Serena answered, wiping away her tears. She felt like her comeback, as a performer was a complete failure. She didn't want Shauna to witness her feelings of despair either. When they were kids, Shauna was always the one to tell her to stop crying. Now that they were acquaintances, she couldn't let the brunette see that she was still emotionally weak.

The honey blonde stood from the couch, and blotted the warm, salty tears that were clutching to her lashes. "You'll have to get the next runner up to perform. I'm sure they will be happy." Serena used every muscle on her face to muster a smile.

"No," said Shauna. "Performers shouldn't be sabotaging other peoples chances. Those who do will never be rewarded the title as Queen." Shauna looked away in guilt while clenching one of her fists.

Serena eyed the brunette. She had no dress for the freestyle round, and nowadays, performers received points by how well their dress fit with the meaning of their routine. How was she going to find a dress that went perfectly with what she planned? She was going to lose points if it didn't fit.

"You'll be performing last, so you still have time," Shauna said while reaching for the zipper on the back of her dress. "We can make this work. Give me your dress, and we'll alter mine to fit your routine."

* * *

Serena stared at herself through the body mirror in amazement. On either side of her stood the trio and all her Pokémon that worked so diligently to put the dress together.

Before, her dress consisted of the bejeweled bodice, sewed onto a skirt that stopped at her knees. The hem of the skirt was adorned with ribbons, and sequins. Her performance was going to be all about how her life has shifted into something she was absolutely happy about. All of the sequins, and jewels, and ribbons were to represent how much it felt like to have everything.

Now, her dress consisted of the bejeweled bodice, sewed onto a plain pink skirt that stopped at her feet. Miette added a slit on the side to help with her movements on stage. It was much more plain now, but Serena felt that it represented her life much better. Like, her life was great, but with an empty slate, there was so much more unknown adventures awaiting her.

She had to thank Shauna for all of it. Shauna handed her dress to Serena, and began barking orders to the other girls. She apologized for being so bossy, and immediately had to leave before the start of the first performance. She wished Serena luck, and hurried out of the room, wearing the plain white dress every Performer had to wear for the communication round. The honey blonde didn't have the chance to thank her, but she was sure to do it the second they got back to the academy.

"Miss Yvonne, we need you on the stage in five," The manager behind the stage said out loud as she passed by her room.

"I'll be there!" Serena yelled out.

Miette grabbed a water bottle from her bag, and looked at the honey blonde. "C'mon, I'll take you there."

Serena nodded before looking at the two Coordinators.

"We're going to stay here," said Dawn. "I'm sure there's some clue underneath all of this mess."

"Plus," May added. "If someone tries to come back, we'll be here to shoo them away."

"Thanks, you guys." Serena smiled as she headed to the door.

"Good luck! We'll be watching you on the screen!"

"Thanks," she smiled before looking down at her Sylveon and Pancham. "C'mon you two. We have a performance to give!" She then looked up at her Delphox and Altaria, and gave them each a smile. "Wish us luck!"

Her Sylveon and Pancham rushed to her side as the remainder of her Pokémon offered their words of encouragement.

Serena walked alongside Miette as they made a few turns pass the dozen of dressing rooms. As they neared the stage, one of the workers placed the palm of their hand against Serena's back, and began guiding her up the plight of stairs. She could hear Monsieur Pierre's voice echo through the auditorium as he began with her introduction.

When he finished, the worker urged Serena to enter the stage, and as she did, she took her place with her Pokémon around her.

* * *

"And the winner of this year's Couramine Showcase is…" Monsieur Pierre took his time to open up the envelope that contained the winner.

Serena stood in between the two performers who also made it to the last round. They just finished with the crowd vote, and it was very close. She came in second with the crowd's approval, but only lost by a mere two people. She still had a chance at winning the entire thing, but so did the other girls. With the outcome of all the rounds put together, their points were fairly close to one another.

"…Performer, Serena Yvonne!" Monsieur Pierre announced, causing the crowd to roar wildly.

Serena stood there for a second; unsure as to how she should be reacting. She could not believe that she won the very first Showcase of the year. Heck, she couldn't believe she won the first one she's participated in after so many years. She was so sure that she was going to lose the first few because of her lack of experience. She guessed wrong.

She shook her head as her Pancham jumped into her arms. She gave it a hug as her Sylveon wrapped its ribbons around her wrists.

"Congratulations, Serena." Monsieur Pierre sauntered over to her with his Klefki by his side. He grabbed the key from his Pokémon before handing it to Serena. "I'll be looking forward to your future performances, Mademoiselle."

"Thank you so much," she said as the curtains began to descend around the stage.

Serena held the key out in front of her. As usual it was golden, but the handle of it contained a heart shaped amethyst. It was simple compared to most, but this key marked the beginning of her journey to becoming Queen.

"Serena!"

Serena looked to her right to see Dawn, May, and Miette running her way. Ahead of them were her Delphox and Altaria. Pancham leaped from her arms before Serena stretched her arms out widely to embrace the remainder of her team.

"We found a clue," May said.

Serena looked at them with disbelief. With her win, she really wanted to let the whole thing go, but if she didn't, the suspect was probably going to try and ruin her chances again at the next Showcase. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's a button from our school blazer," Dawn said, extending her arm out while letting her fingers uncurl to reveal the golden button on her hand.

Engraved on the center of the button was the school insignia – a silhouette of Xernea's head. It definitely was from the academy.

"It's none of us," Dawn continued. "All of our buttons are intact."

"It has to be Amelia," May said. "But as of now, everyone in the 3rd year Performer's program is a suspect. After all, they all came wearing their uniforms."

* * *

 **Next Chapter Summary: Friendship**

"Vote for Gary & Amelia! Free pizza everyday! No homework! And more field trips!"

XXXXXXXXX

"What is going on here?" Palermo demanded an answer from those who were wasting her time.

"Amelia is the one who ruined Serena's dress!" May yelled out in front of everyone, holding the button out in front of her.

"Me?" Amelia sneered. "You don't have any proof! A button is nothing! Look at my blazer. I'm missing none!"

* * *

 **NOTE:** Definitely a longer chapter than the last two. Those two I didn't plan as well. Sorry :(. Everything else is not planned the way it should be though (even if their will be some minor changes in the future) SO, future chapters should be longer.

I hope you guys all liked the chapter.

 **Leave a like, favorite, review, or PM. :) Whatever to show your support~**


	10. Friendship

**NOTE:** **Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! :)**

 **Happy late Remembrance/Veterans Day! I hope you guys are enjoying your long weekend (if you have one). haha**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed since last time - Q-A Authoress, FantasyLover88, sunshineisdelicious** (I know there are dots in your name, but when I save it always seems to erase half of her username), **DJKitKat12, gurkaran23, aliensinnoh, 2Guest, skyblu23, gabed1298, Bluejack222, & PunishedEagle88 who left a PM :) **

**You guys are all great! I hope you enjoy this chapter too~!**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Friendship**

The sound of the bell echoed throughout the classroom, signifying the end of last period. Serena let out an enthusiastic yawn while stretching her arms over her head. She then closed her books in front of her, and stuffed all her supplies back into her backpack.

"Not getting enough sleep?" Miette asked while standing next to the honey blonde's desk.

"Barely," Serena answered, standing up from her seat. She flung her bag over her shoulders before snuggly fitting it comfortably around her arms.

She hasn't been getting much sleep since the year started, but now that her presidential platform was right around the corner, the amount of beauty sleep she's been receiving drastically decreased than before. Not to mention, catching the person behind her trashed dressing room was giving her nightmares. It's only been a few days since the incident, and Dawn and May have been working so diligently to catch the person who did it. They were still adamant on the fact that it was Amelia, but Amelia always had people around her. They were having a minor setback with trying to examine her blazer.

After Palermo was informed of the incident, Serena received an earful from her. Palermo warned her of the cheaters, and told her a billion times in the past to lock her dressing room door whenever it was time for her to enter another Showcase. Serena supposed she was just so excited to be back on the scene, but Palermo still found it unacceptable. She asked Serena if there was any evidence in the scene to pinpoint whom it might be, but Serena lied to her. She didn't want to have her mentor worry about one of her students being the culprit. She already had enough on her plate.

"You shouldn't worry so much. You have a lot of people helping you." Miette said as they exited the classroom.

"I can't control what I'm feeling," Serena deadpanned.

"1, 2, 3, 4! Guess who you should vote for…!"

"5, 6, 7, 8! GARY! GARY! GAAAARY OAK!"

"What's going on?" Serena asked as they turned a corner. The same cheer was being repeated in bright preppy voices.

Through the bustling crowd of students, the cheer grew louder as the two girls continued their walk down the hall. Eventually, the two stopped behind a small crowd of people, and Serena could already make out a few cheerleaders jumping around the area. With Miette trailing along behind her, Serena pushed her way through the crowd until she had a clear enough view of what was happening in front of her.

"That's right everyone!" Gary yelled out through a megaphone. "Vote for me and you'll get free pizza everyday!"

"Vote for us and we'll get you any food you want!" Serena's eyes darted over to the left where Amelia stood, holding her own megaphone.

She couldn't believe what was happening. Did Gary and Amelia partner up for the upcoming election? Serena tried her best to keep her jaw from dropping open, but she failed upon receiving a coupon from one of the cheerleaders. She looked down at the small, square sheet of paper that contained a voucher for a free slice of pizza.

"Free food?" Miette remarked. "That's going to be hard to beat."

"Free food isn't going to help the school." The honey blonde gritted through her teeth while scrunching the coupon within her grasp.

"Yeah, but it's a way to win the majority." Miette shrugged her shoulders.

Serena sighed as she watched all the students around her grab their own coupon from the perky cheerleaders. All the students then took a left, most likely towards the cafeteria to grab their own slice.

The hall was already crowded, and it was still growing by the second. The cafeteria was probably even more crowded with people grabbing a slice of pizza.

"We're going to have to check it out," said Serena as another cheerleader handed her another coupon. She had an urge to scrunch this one up too, but prevented herself from doing so in order to check out the selection that Gary and Amelia managed to put together.

Serena took a left with Miette trailing behind her. As they reached the cafeteria, the two were greeted by a worried Dawn who stood at the entrance to the dining area.

"This sucks," Dawn said, pointing to the large crowd who stood at the other end of the room. They were all lining up behind a food truck, labeled Gary & Amelia's Pizza Parlour. The line went to the back of the room before making a turn, and extended back towards the truck, before once again looping back to the other side.

"This is awesome!" A male student rushed by with a cluster of other boys. "The line is really long, but it's definitely worth it."

"I bet if we ask Gary for a second food truck for faster lines, he would do it." Another one added.

"Yeah, We're definitely going to vote for Gary and Amelia!"

The trio glared at the cluster of boys leaving the cafeteria. Their harsh stares went on unnoticed, and their glares immediately shifted into saddened expressions.

"What are we going to do?!" Dawn threw her hands up in the air. "We can't give away free food! Where did they even get the money from?"

"Don't they both come from rich families?" Miette crossed her arms as she stuck her foot out in front of her.

A boy running with a few slices of pizza fell to the floor, his food now sliding across the hall. He grimaced before using his palms to pull himself up. "What did you do that for?!" He spat out at the bluenette who remained calm.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you're just a klutz." Miette waved him off dismissively. "You were running like a maniac."

"Now I have to wait in line again!"

"Oh, Boohoo!" Miette stuck her tongue out at him.

The boy glowered down at her with his face just a few inches away from her. He groaned in frustration with clenched fists before marching out of the room.

"Miette!" Serena began to scold her friend. "We probably lost a vote now because of you."

"Oh please, you can still win without his vote." Miette retorted.

The honey blonde groaned before letting out a frustrated exhale. She loved Miette to pieces, but sometimes her ways of support was just a little bit extreme. "Every vote counts." She finished off.

She returned her attention back to the line, wondering how she was going to compete with the king and queen who held the title of being the most annoying rich kids in the school. In the past few years, those who ran for president never partnered with someone who was running for vice president. She couldn't decide if that was considered some form of cheating or a really smart move. If she were to talk to Headmaster Redwood, he would probably allow it. He would be happy to see that a guy and a girl were getting along. That was far more important to him than the outcome of the newly reformed student council. If he were to allow that, then maybe her partnering up with Dawn would be a good idea too.

"Let's go check out the selection," said Serena. "Maybe it isn't as great as we think…"

The honey blonde took a deep breath, trying to keep herself positive. She wasn't going to let an idea like free pizza prevent her from running an even better platform. Sure free pizza was great, but in the long run, it was unhealthy and unbeneficial to the school.

"Alright," Dawn agreed. "I'll ask the students if there is something they want other than pizza."

The trio nodded at one another before going their separate ways.

Serena wandered around the cafeteria, the smell of melted cheese wafting over her nose. It was much stronger than any other ingredient on a typical slice. As she maneuvered around the students, she made a mental note of the kind of pizza they were all eating. They were all typical flavors. Pepperoni. Cheese. Hawaiian. With that, she could definitely alter the cafeteria menu a bit if that's what the majority wanted.

"Get more coupons here…"

Serena whipped around, hearing Ash's voice sound close to her. She scanned the area, until her eyes fell upon the boy standing just a few feet away from the side of the food truck. Serena chuckled upon seeing the raven haired Champion wearing a giant pizza costume. The only thing Serena could see was his head sticking out through a hole, and a small portion of his legs peeking beneath the crust.

The honey blonde giggled much louder while walking towards him. He looked flustered, and very much agitated. She couldn't blame him though. She would feel the same if she ended up as the mascot for the pizza truck.

"Hey Ash!" Serena called out, garnering his attention with a wave. "Or should I say Mr. Pizza?"

With a reddened face, Ash turned his attention to her after handing out a few coupons to a couple passing students. "He-Hey Serena," he greeted. "I didn't want you to see me like this…" he said quietly.

"I'm going to guess that because you're Gary's roommate, you were forced to wear this costume." Serena tried to stifle another wave of laughter, but failed. She extended her arm and reached out to touch the giant slice of mushroom that was located just under his face. "Your red face actually suits the costume even more. You look like a slice of tomato in the center of all of it," she teased, causing the boy's face to redden much more than it was.

Ash chuckled nervously before handing out a few more coupons. "I was against wearing it… but then Master Redwood passed by while we were arguing, and I was forced into doing it." He sighed. "I really want a different roommate…"

"I hope that doesn't mean that you're going to vote for Gary."

"C'mon Serena," said Ash. "You know that I'm going to vote for you."

Serena smiled, feeling her own cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink. Ash was always such a sweet guy. She surely hoped that he wasn't breaking other girls' hearts with his kind personality.

"Ashy-boy!" Gary called out behind Serena. In just a few seconds, Serena could feel the brunette drape an arm over her shoulder. "I want all those coupons gone in the next ten minutes! You know I'm not paying you to just stand around and talk to cute girls," he said before turning his head to look at the honey blonde. He winked at the girl, sending shivers up her spine.

"You're not even paying me," Ash groaned as Gary shooed him away.

Serena grimaced before pulling Gary's arm away from her. "Gary," she said in a stern voice.

"Serena," he said before brushing his index finger against her chin. "I'd make a pretty good president don't you think?"

"Winning votes from the students by giving them free stuff doesn't make you a good president," Serena retorted with crossed arms.

"Serena..." His signature smirk formed across his face. "I'm already winning. If you want, I'll drop Amelia and make you my vice president instead. I'd rather have you anyways." He leaned in close, and winked.

"As if." Serena pushed his face away. "I'm still going to win this election."

"Why don't you just give up?" He pouted. "I'm pretty sure I have this election in the bag."

"We still have to deliver our platform," she pointed out. "I'm still going to beat you, and Dawn will beat out Amelia too!"

"Your determination just makes me like you even more," he sneered.

His comment made her want to barf, but she held it in to prevent degrading her image.

"Serena," May called out before grabbing ahold of her wrist. Serena turned around to look at May. Behind her stood Dawn and Miette. Within a matter of seconds Dawn and Gary began bickering with one another.

"I don't think you have to worry about Amelia anymore. I got all the evidence I need to prove that it was her who trashed your room."

Serena widened her eyes. "Really?" she asked. "That's fast…" she glanced over at Dawn who was lecturing Gary about their assignments.

"Come on," May said, dragging her through the crowd.

* * *

"You're all just wasting my time! Can't you see that I'm busy?" Amelia barked with crossed arms. "I'm winning my spot as student vice president!"

"That spot belongs to me," Dawn murmured.

"It's mine now," Amelia smirked. "C'mon ladies." She turned her attention to her three avid followers. She then stood from the stool, and began strutting towards the door.

"Not so fast Amelia." Palermo entered the room just as the angered performer reached for the doorknob. "If May here has something important to tell me, than I would like to hear it."

Serena stared at her mentor in shock. She took a step to the left behind Dawn, intending to hide herself from Palermo's sight. She didn't think that May would invite Palermo to her accusation. She could still be wrong, and make herself look like a fool. Then, Serena would receive a handful from her mentor about why her friend wasted her time, and why she lied about finding evidence in her dressing room.

"Serena," Palermo cleared her throat. "Do I still have to tell you to be comfortable around me?"

The honey blonde shut her eyes tightly before fluttering them wide open. She peeked her head over Dawn's shoulder and grinned awkwardly at her mentor. "I didn't think you'd have time to come here…" she said with a shaky voice before noticing Shauna who was standing beside Palermo. She must have entered the room just after her.

"Well, it is my issue when two students come to me, complaining about a certain student in my faculty." Palermo narrowed her eyes at Amelia. "Now what seems to be the problem?"

Serena shuffled a few steps to the left, and watched as May began rummaging through her pocket.

"I believe that it was Amelia who trashed Serena's dressing room!" May said with a stern expression. Despite that Serena could tell that even May was slightly wavered by Palermo's presence.

"What is your proof?" Palermo asked.

"After the incident, Dawn and I found this button in the dressing room." May held the button up for Palermo to inspect. "It has our school insignia on it, and the button is only found on our blazers. That is already enough proof to show that it was a student from our school."

Palermo took a couple steps forward before grabbing the button from May's hand.

"Your only proof is a button?" Amelia scoffed before pointing to all the buttons on her blazer. "A button is nothing. Look at my blazer. I'm missing none!"

"Her buttons are all intact," Palermo agreed.

Serena shuffled over a bit, readying herself to hide behind Dawn once more. She could see that Palermo was getting a bit agitated.

"But that isn't her blazer," May said.

"What!?" Amelia said, unamused. "This is my blazer! If you're just going to waste Palermo's time you should at least do it right."

"That is not your blazer," May said once more. "Look at it." She pointed to the blazer, gesturing Palermo to analyze it closely. "It's a bit too big for her, and look at Whitney…" May then pointed to one of Amelia's followers. A follower that was noticeably larger than Amelia. "Whitney's blazer looks a bit too small for her. My bet is that they switched blazers."

"Whitney." Palermo stared at the girl, signifying that she should remove her blazer.

Whitney stood from her seat and obliged. She removed her blazer and handed it over to Palermo.

Serena took a few steps forward to analyze the blazer with the rest of the girls. It was, as a matter of fact, missing a button on one of the cuffs.

"Amelia must have made Whitney switch blazers with her, so that she would receive the punishment instead." May said rather proudly.

"That's just a coincidence!" Amelia pointed out. "It was hot during lunch, so we all took off our blazers. I must have grabbed Whitney's by mistake."

"Since when do you grab someone else's clothing by mistake?" Miette scoffed. "You don't like sharing any of your clothes, and a blazer isn't an exception."

"I was in a hurry, and didn't notice." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Sue me for making a mistake."

"Well, Whitney is still missing a button. That could still mean that you sent her to do your dirty work."

"Oh please, Whitney's been missing a button since the start of the year. Your evidence means nothing."

"Amelia is right." Palermo interjected. "A button is not enough evidence to pin her as the criminal. It could merely be a coincidence."

"But I-" May began, ready to protest.

"No but's," Palermo said. She furrowed her eyebrow before looking at Serena, giving her a disappointed look. "I know you girls aren't fond of one another, but that doesn't mean that you should pin the blame on someone because of some differences. That is not how a Kalos Queen acts." She nodded her head in shame.

Serena looked down, unable to meet Palermo's gaze. There it was. Her disappointment. That was something Serena didn't want to see.

"That's why I'm here." Shauna said. "As current Kalos Queen, it becomes my problem when a performer's work has been trashed. I want to be able to compete with the best, and that can't happen when someone who has the potential to beat me loses their chance when someone ruins their hard work."

The honey blonde looked up in surprise, her eyes resting upon Shauna. She watched as the brunette began rummaging through her bag.

"After the show, I went to security, and asked to see their surveillance tapes." She pulled a disc from her backpack, and walked to the other side of the classroom. There, she inserted the disc into a computer, and began relaying the images on a projector.

Serena and the others looked up at the screen as Shauna began scrolling through the video, trying to find the scene that pertained to the incident. After a couple minutes of going through the video, Serena watched the recording to see Amelia entering her dressing room. She squinted her eyes, noticing that the button on her cuff was still there. After a few minutes, Amelia left with a missing button, and soon after she watched Dawn, May, Miette, and herself stand in front of the dressing room with shocked looks on their faces. Serena remembered that moment all too well.

"If this isn't enough to prove that it wasn't Amelia, then I don't know what is." Shauna said. "She came in immediately after Dawn and May left the room. It obviously wasn't trashed at that point."

"Very well then," Palermo said rather calmly, but Serena could tell that she was feeling the exact opposite. That vein popping on her forehead gave it all away. "Amelia, I'll see you in my office. Now."

"But I-"

"Your minions too," Palermo interjected while walking to the other side of the room to grab the disc from the computer. "I gave you a chance in the program simply because your father wouldn't stop bothering me. Well, it seems that I have made the wrong decision by accepting his wishes.

"It's not fair!" Amelia countered as she stomped towards the door. "I've been a student here longer than Serena, and I've never been your favorite nor have I been able to participate in any showcases!"

"Because you have an attitude problem." Palermo was quick to point out her flaw. "Under my instruction, it seems you aren't able to change your stuck up, prissy personality. You are nowhere near becoming Kalos Queen with the way you are now. I'm pulling you out of the election to work on this attitude problem of yours. We'll discuss the rest of your punishment in my office, NOW!"

Palermo exited the room with Amelia and her minions.

Serena blinked in confusion, still trying to process what just happened. She's never seen Palermo insult a student like that before. It now, made it much harder for her to get comfortable around her mentor.

"That was so awesome," Dawn squealed. "After all these years, Amelia is finally getting what she deserves."

"It all makes sense," May said before turning her attention to the honey blonde. "Amelia never liked you, but she was never motivated to do anything until now because Palermo deemed you qualified for the Showcases this year."

"I couldn't have done any of this without you guys," Serena thanked her friends before pulling them into a group hug. She then looked over at Shauna who stood there awkwardly.

"Shauna," Serena said. "Thank you for helping me."

"Well," Shauna began, shyly. "To be honest, I owe you one. You stood up for me when Amelia was giving me such a hard time. I don't even know why I chose to hang out with her."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Serena said, walking up to her. "So… friends?" She held her hand out for the brunette to shake.

"I'd like that," Shauna smiled before gripping the honey blonde's hand. "And Serena…?"

"Yeah?" Serena couldn't stop herself from smiling so widely.

"As Kalos Queen, I want to compete with the best, and you're one of them."

"Then when the time comes, I'll give it my all."

Shauna smiled back. "Me too."

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Shauna's Confession**

"So why exactly did you hold a grudge against Serena all these years?" Miette asked.

Serena nudged her friends' shoulder. She never asked Shauna why she did, and she didn't bring it up because she didn't want to lose her friendship with her again.

"What?" Miette asked. "You have the right to know."

"It's okay," Shauna giggled. "Miette's right. You do have the right to know. I'm honestly surprised that you didn't bother to ask me the second we became friends again. The truth is…"

* * *

 **After the next chapter, we should be getting into more amourshipping moments, so I'd like to say thanks to all of those who remained patient. haha.**

 **Anywho, thanks for reading the chapter!**

 **Leave a like, leave a favorite, leave a review or even a PM! ~ :)**


	11. Shauna's Confession

**NOTE:** Hey guys! New chapter! Woohoo! :)

Now onto replying to some reviews! :)

 ** _DJKitKat12:_** _Hey, a few chapters back, As he and Serena agreed that they would hang out, or a date, in Serenas words, when will that happen? I also feel like there should be a bit more romance please. Sorry if the first part wounded a bit rude_

 **I've replied to you in a PM, but I felt some people may wonder the same thing too. The story is labelled as Love & FRIENDSHIP. It's just the friendship part is playing out right now. haha However, a date will happen a couple chapters from now, and from there on there will be more "romance". Since Serena doesn't have love in her mind, its not something thats occurring too much in the story. As I've stated many times, the amourshipping doesn't happen for awhile.**

 _ **gabed1298:**_ _Will other XY characters show up, like Tierno, Trevor, Shota/Sawyer or even Bonnie and Clemont or even Brock or Cilan (I know they're not xy character but still? Just asking. Also what gave you the idea to make Mairin, Alain's sister and to have her dead? It's neat idea._ _Just a thought or idea: since Sun and Moon is coming out. You should add characters from Alola like Lillie and Mallow, etc. You're story is great but it's just a thought._

 **I've also replied in a PM, but some other people may wonder the same thing too. Bonnie & Clemont will make an appearance later. Brock is actually a Professor in the school, as I've stated once in chapter 2 I believe. I've planned a sequel which will have more characters, but it has yet to be decided. And about Alain and Mairin. Idk, I dont really support Marissonshipping. I see them as more of a brother/sister relationship. I wanted there to be a cause for how Alain's acts in the story (skipping his training schedule), and stuff. :)**

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who reviewed the chapter! - FantasyLover88, PunishedEagle88, Pokemonmeat, skyblu23, Guest, Q-A Authoress, aliensinnoh, and DoodleRose!**_

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Shauna's Confession**

The crowd chanted his name over and over again. Then the cheerleaders began their own catchy rhymes, while executing a bunch of acrobatic moves.

The honey blonde sighed, feigning a smile before reaching out to shake her opponents hand. Even with her great ideas, Gary was still winning the majority. She didn't care that he was much more charismatic than she was. His ideas were no help to the students. Free food? More holidays? No homework? It all sounded great, but in the long run it wasn't going to be beneficial. All of his food suggestions involved greasy, unhealthy meals. More holidays, and no homework just forced longer school hours. No one would like that.

The year before, Serena implemented a healthy menu in the cafeteria. Everyone loved it, and didn't complain. Most of the girls even told Serena that that they never felt better. Because of Gary's pizza truck, Serena witnessed that a few girls were actually missing all of the greasy food. Serena decided to add 'Treat Day' to her platform. She stated that at the beginning of the school week, she would make a poll as to what they would want as a treat, and at the end of the week, that's what they would be serving in the cafeteria. She thought it was a great idea, but all the boys were too busy swooning over the busty cheerleaders, and the girls seemed pretty distracted by their cheers too. To add onto that idea, Serena wanted to implement fundraisers at the beginning of each month to raise money for 'Treat Day'. Headmaster Redwood was keen on bringing the two genders together. What could be more helpful than fundraisers?

She tried to win the attention of the perverts by adding more male lounges to the school. The girls had their own few private places to be just girls. The guys only had one lounge to themselves, and after this year, Serena knew that it wouldn't be enough. More boys were eventually going to enroll in the academy. There were a few unused classes. They could easily use those to add more private rooms for the guys.

Serena wanted to make the year memorable for everyone, especially since the guys were new to the school. She wanted, if they were able to, to add more events. Better events. Events that required more participation. Headmaster Redwood wanted the drastic change to run smoothly, and Serena was striving to make it so. Sadly, no one would listen.

The agitated teen walked down the plight of stairs, and was immediately greeted by her best friend.

"Alain?" she said, shocked as Headmaster Redwood walked up the temporary stage to thank the candidates, and to announce a few more things about the upcoming election. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training with Professor Brock?"

"Oh, yeah." He shrugged his shoulders before looking away. "We finished early."

Serena eyed him with suspicion. She knew he was lying. She's seen his training schedule for the year, and she had to admit that it was pretty intense. Still, it wasn't intense enough for him to be skipping his sessions. These people were making time for him. He should be going out of his way to receive their help. Even if it meant seeing him less, Serena wanted him to keep his title and prove to everyone that he deserved it.

"I wanted to be here for your platform," he said, breaking her away from her thoughts.

"And?" Serena crossed her arms. She knew him all too well. With that distant look on his face, she could tell that there was something else on his mind.

Alain sighed before grabbing Serena's hand, and dragging her across the courtyard. He took her away from the loud gathering of students, and into the closest, quietest building. "Serena," he started. "I had to hear from Ash during the Showcase that you guys were partners for a class with Professor Sycamore."

Here it finally was. The lecture she was anticipating. "I didn't choose to be his partner," she stated. "It was random. I just happened to draw his name from out of a cup."

"Serena," he lowered his voice. "I just don't-"

"-want me getting hurt." She finished his sentence.

The black haired Champion scowled before pressing his back against the wall. "I'm just looking out for you."

"I'll be fine. If I were to like Ash again it should have happened by now," she said. "Besides, I have too much on my plate to even worry about boys. You should know that."

He hesitated for a second. "I-I guess."

"And you know what would help me?"

"What?" He met her eyes with hope.

"If you went to your training session. I heard Professor Brock was a gym leader back in Kanto. I think he'll be able to help you a lot."

"Yeah," Alain muttered. "If he ever stops swooning over every girl that passes by him."

Serena giggled. She's heard stories of the infamous Professor Brock. He never harassed any female students; he just simply… showered them with an overwhelming amount of compliments. A lot of girls went to him for a confidence boost. Maybe next semester she would join one of his classes to experience his personality.

"Then maybe he can teach you how to talk to girls… or anyone in that matter," she teased before messing his hair. She then stuck her tongue out at him and said goodbye before exiting the building.

* * *

"You can still win it you know," said Miette. "Everyone's bound to realize how stupid Gary's ideas are."

May and Dawn were quick to agree with her statement.

Serena glared at the two before painting a few letters on a banner. "May you're going to win. And Dawn, now that Amelia is out, you're basically going to win too."

Dawn chuckled nervously. "What even happened to Amelia?" She decided on changing on subject. "She usually sticks out like a sore thumb, but I haven't seen her since we outsmarted her."

"She's probably busy with Palermo," Miette answered before looking over to the brunette who just finished with untangling her third box of decorations. "So, Shauna… How are you doing?" she asked. "You're awfully quiet, and you're working faster than everyone else."

Serena and the others looked over to the industrious performer. Serena didn't want to admit it, but she sort of forgot that Shauna was there. Every girl in the current council was a friend to one another, but they all had their small group of friends to talk to while completing their tasks. It's been years since her and Shauna hung out with one another. As much as she was happy to have her as a friend again, it really was going to take some time to get used too.

"I'm really glad that you're a part of the group now," said Dawn after her and May apologized for not making her feel welcome. "Serena wouldn't shut up about you."

"Hey!" The honey blonde pouted. "Shauna was my best girl friend," she murmured. "I felt like she belonged in the group."

"Really?" Shauna asked. "That makes me feel guilty."

"Don't," said Serena. "You're here now and that's all that matters."

"I don't mean to sound rude," said May. "But why are you attending the academy? Most of us are here to be the best, and to reach the very top. You're already at the top, and have been for a few years. Why are you here?"

"I want to open my own school for performers. I've come across a lot of aspiring performers who want to attend this academy. It's really competitive, and hard to get into though. I want to be able to help those who can't come here."

It all made sense to Serena now. That's why Shauna sat at the front of the class. And that's why her notes were a bit off topic. There's been a couple times where Serena fell asleep in class, and when Shauna wasn't there, she would take a peek at her notes. She read a few notes about how the teacher was relaying their thoughts to the class. She never understood why she would take notes on how the teacher was presenting their lessons, but now she did.

"That's pretty cool," said Dawn. "And for a while I thought you didn't deserve to be Kalos Queen." She paused as she noticed the saddened expression on Shauna's face. "…Because of how you were with Amelia." She finished off.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I met a lot of people along my journey, but I didn't have the time to actually hang out with any of them. When I first came here I was so overwhelmed by the amount of people I was going to see everyday. Then I just, sort of, ended up with Amelia…"

"So, why exactly did you hold a grudge against Serena all these years?" Miette asked.

Serena nudged her friends' shoulder. She never asked Shauna why she did, and she didn't bring it up because she didn't want to lose her friendship with her again.

"What?" Miette asked before turning her attention to the perturbed honey blonde. "You have the right to know."

"It's okay," Shauna giggled. "Miette's right. You do have the right to know. I'm honestly surprised that you didn't bother to ask me the second we became friends again. I treated you horribly without telling you why. You deserve to know the truth."

"I didn't want to upset you if I brought it up," Serena murmured under her breath before setting the banner on an empty table to dry. She then grabbed another 'Happy Halloween' banner from a different table, and began painting in the letters.

Shauna took a deep breath before setting the box of decorations down on the floor. She stood up from her chair and walked over to the table where everyone else was standing. "The truth is…" she lowered her voice, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. "I had a huge crush on Alain."

"What?!" Dawn picked the wrong time to take a swig from her water bottle. She almost spat all the contents in her mouth all over May's own painting, but instead dribbled over the letter 'O' in Halloween. Startled by Dawn's sudden reaction, May dragged her paintbrush against the canvas, and made her 'O' into a Q.

"Thanks a lot, Dawn." The girl from Hoenn glared at the bluenette beside her.

Dawn chuckled nervously before meekly returning back to painting the other half of May's banner.

Serena sat there in shock, no longer able to continue with stroking her paintbrush against the canvas. She glanced up at Miette who was the least affected by Shauna's sudden confession. Miette wasn't one to be easily surprised though.

"Yeah…" Shauna said, flustered. "Alain was in love with Serena though. He always talked about her, and always went to me for advice regarding winning her heart. The day I snapped…" Shauna looked over to Serena before continuing on with her story. "…was when I saw him kiss you, and asked you to be his girlfriend."

Serena blinked several times. This didn't make sense to her one bit. "But you knew that I didn't like him. You were the one telling me to give him a chance and be his girlfriend. So I did it because of you."

"I admit it was a mess, but I cared a lot about the both of you. I really liked him, and I wanted him to be happy, so I helped him. Especially when Mairin died. I felt he needed you the most." Shauna sighed. "And you, you were so heartbroken over Ash's departure. I thought Alain being your boyfriend would help you get over him. I didn't mean to be so rude when I snapped. I just didn't think the kiss would affect me so much. But I did it to protect myself. I probably could have handled the situation better, but I didn't really plan it out…"

"Wow," Miette said, completely unwavered by her confession. "You put their feelings before yours. You really are suitable to be Kalos Queen. I just can't believe Serena was unaware of your feelings towards him. She was your best friend. You think she would have known even if you didn't tell her."

Serena's cheeks burned bright red. "I was a sulking, heartbroken girl! I didn't pay much attention to what was happening around me." She admitted with crossed arms.

Miette chuckled while cutting up a few decorations. "Your plan kind of worked then. Serena doesn't have feelings for Ash anymore."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Alain is still a hundred percent in love with her," said Dawn, causing May and Miette to chuckle.

"I don't get how you can't like him," said Shauna. "I mean, he did almost everything for you, and from what I've seen, he still puts you before himself."

The honey blonde shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't feel that way about him. He helped me get over Ash, but not by being my boyfriend. He just helped me open up to new things, and focus on myself."

"So, do you still like Alain?" Miette asked. She was always the one to ask whatever she wanted.

"Well, I…" Shauna trailed off. She began fiddling with the hem of her blazer and her cheeks began to turn a rosy shade of pink.

"You still like him!" Dawn practically shouted out, causing the rest of the council to turn back to see the commotion. "It's nothing." Dawn cleared her throat. "Return to your duties everyone!"

"You see that?" Miette leaned over to Serena. "That's how you can tell if someone likes someone." She teased.

The honey blonde stuck out her tongue towards her friend before returning her attention to Shauna. "You've liked him this entire time? After all these years?" she asked.

"No, I thought I was over him, but when I started attending the school, the feelings just rushed back into my system."

Serena placed her paintbrush on the palette before clasping her hands together. "Then I'm going to bring the two of you together," she said, determined. "He needs a girlfriend anyways. He's always bothering me, and as nice as it is, I seriously need my space."

"You don't have to do tha-" Shauna tried, waving her hands out in front of her with her pink cheeks shifting into a crimson color.

"We'll help too!" Dawn chimed in. "Starting off with the Halloween Event!"

Serena smiled widely. Shauna gave up the boy she loved. Just to help her out. Serena felt it was time for Shauna to finally win Alain's heart.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Happy Halloween!**

"Hey Serena!" Ash called out, running towards the honey blonde. "Did you want to check out one of the mini games together?"

"I'd love to Ash, but I can't." She gave him an apologetic look. "It's my turn to patrol the area."

"Oh." He rubbed his head. "Well, I'll join you then. You know, so you don't get bored."

* * *

 _ **And thats the end of the chapter!**_

 _ **I just want to say, skyblu23, you are one smart cookie. In case you dont remember what you last reviewed you said "you make it sound like Shauna likes someone Serena knows." You got that right! :)**_

 _ **AND GUYSSSS, The games are being released soon! I'm on Team Moon! How about you? :) And have you guys checked out the new sun & moon anime yet? What do you guys think of it? :) **_

_**Until next time! Leave a like, leave a favorite, leave a review or even a PM!**_


	12. Happy Halloween

**NOTE:** Hey guys! New chapter! Woohoo. Would have been sooner, but I was playing the game.

HAHA I honestly haven't watched the anime yet. I just wanted to see what you guys were thinking. I usually like to wait until quite a few episodes are out until I decide to do so... which won't be for awhile. If Lillie is anything like how she is in the game though, I kind of ship her with Ash... The Ash from Kalos. Not the weird one I'm seeing in Sun&Moon. But Im not sure if his personality is even close to his mature self in Kalos.

Onto some reviews!

 _ **skyblu23:**_ Review was somewhat long, but they basically stated they couldn't really see Ash and Serena being shipped in this story because of the lack of interactions between the two, and the lack of information there currently is about his personality and who he is now.

 **The way I approached it... is basically just how you stated it. I wanted you guys to see that he was nice and that he has a crush on her. And that's basically it. I wanted to keep it kind of aloof, but later on there will be more of explanation as to how he even began to like her, and how he even became less dense, and who he has become. Unfortunately I didn't really plan that until the next story. LMAO. So just like... enjoy the future amourshipping scenes.**

 _ **UptownFunk:**_ _Will Ash get jealous of Alain? It seems that would be the route Ash would go_

 **haha. I guess you could say that. But Alain is also jealous of him. :)**

 _ **Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! - MANbearPIG01, FantasyLover88, sunshineisdelicious, Daisy Pragnya, Q-A Authoress, DJKitKat12, 2 Guest, aliensinnoh, Nexxus176, gabed1298, DoodleRose, StreetRacer-Sam, PunishedEagle88**_

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Happy Halloween!**

A breeze of the cooling autumn air brushed against the honey blonde's nape as she exited the researchers faculty. Everything seemed to be running smoothly for the Halloween event. At least, everything was running smoothly for the researchers. She couldn't say much about the other ones. She had yet to visit them.

Every year, each faculty was to come up with a mini game that related to their program. Because of all the commotion that's been happening with the current student council, they had each program use the game they did the year before. It wasn't that huge of a deal. None of the girls seemed to mind, and all the guys were new to it anyway.

Serena sauntered down the cemented stairs, walking pass a few girls who were dressed up as different ghost type Pokémon. She nodded at the girls, complimenting their choice of costumes before continuing on her destination to the next faculty. As student body president, she and the rest of the council members were not allowed to dress up for Halloween. They all just wore glowing headbands, so they were visible to any student that wanted to ask a few questions. Serena wished she were able to dress up for the occasion. She was a part of the council in some way ever since she attended the school, so she was never given the chance to dress up for the occasion. With her busy schedule though, she probably wouldn't even have the time to find or create her own costume anyways.

"C'mon, Sylveon," said Serena as she reached the bottom of the staircase. "Let's go check on the performers."

Her Sylveon responded with glee before wrapping its ribbons around her wrist. It was a tad bit lonely wandering around the school with no company. At least, with one of her Pokemon by her side, it wasn't such a big deal.

"Hey, Serena!" Serena looked up to see the raven haired Champion running her way with his electric buddy standing atop of his shoulder. Serena smiled, waving him over. It seemed that he also didn't have the time to put a costume together.

She greeted the boy as he came to a stop in front of her, and then nodded at Pikachu before petting its ear. "Are you enjoying the Halloween event?" Serena asked. "We usually add raffles and entertainment in the courtyard, but we didn't have the time to this year."

"I think it's still pretty awesome," he said with a wide smile. "Did you want to check out one of the mini games together?"

"I'd love to Ash, but I can't." She gave him an apologetic look. "It's my turn to patrol the area."

"Oh." He rubbed his head, with a look of disappointment plastered across his face. "Well, I'll join you then. You know, so you don't get bored."

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded, agreeing with Ash's choice.

Serena looked down to her Sylveon who didn't seem to mind to have some extra company. "That'd be great, Ash," said Serena. "I'm on my way to check on the performers. It's the closest building nearby."

Ash nodded at her, and the two began their destination to the next building.

"So, what games did you try?" Serena asked as they began crossing a field. She turned her head to look at him, but he immediately looked away.

"Err…" He began, flustered. "I was with all the aspiring trainers."

 _Figures._ Serena thought. The trainers always created a mini game that revolved around battling. If Serena remembered, their mini game involved going through a scary maze while battling a bunch of ghost or dark type trainers.

"I've spent all my time there," he continued. "At first, they loved it. But then they kicked me out for constantly beating everyone…"

Serena burst out into a fit of laughter. "That's just like you, Ash," she said as they began walking up the stairs that led to the performers building.

"I've been working on so many essays, and I haven't gotten the time to go to the battle arena." He pouted. "I was dying for one battle…"

"Or a hundred." Serena teased before coming to an abrupt halt.

She suddenly heard Alain's voice. Followed by Shauna's. She darted her eyes all over the area, until she could see a part of Shauna's pigtail peeking from the right side of the building. Her plan was being set in motion, and she needed to hide from Alain, or else it would all be ruined.

The honey blonde grabbed Ash's hand, dragging him to a nearby bush.

"Serena, what are you do-"

"SHHH," She hushed Ash as Shauna and Alain stopped at the front of the main entrance. Shauna stood in front of him, facing the bushes where Serena and Ash were hiding. Serena let out a small sigh of relief. It was a good thing that Alain wasn't facing her. He would be able to spot her in an instant if he was.

Earlier on, Serena came up with a plan to get the two together. She asked Alain to meet her in front of the performers building, so that they could check out a few of the games together. What he didn't know was that the time she asked him to meet her was the exact same time when her patrol would start. She then would have Shauna meet him instead, claiming that she was on her way to meet Serena since the whole patrol schedule changed, even when it didn't. The only hard part was having Alain agree to search with Shauna for her. Shauna was pretty high on his 'do not like' list. She was probably below Ash, which was his number one.

"So you're telling me she's not here?" Serena could hear Alain say.

"Her patrol schedule changed last minute," Shauna replied, flustered.

Alain shrugged. "I'll just look for her then." He nodded at the brunette before walking away.

Serena peeked her head from behind the bush, instantly garnering Shauna's attention. She looked at Shauna with wide eyes before pointing at Alain.

Shauna shrugged her shoulders, already wanting to give up with trying to befriend the boy. This wasn't the Shauna she knew. The Shauna she knew never gave up that easily.

Serena bent over, picking up a rock from the ground before chucking it right at the Kalos Champion who was getting too far for Serena's liking.

"Oww," Alain scowled, rubbing his shoulder before whipping around to look at Shauna.

As he did, Serena instantly shielded herself away behind the bush. She tugged on Ash's sleeve as she bent her knees, kneeling down to prevent Alain from noticing her.

"What the…" Alain trailed off, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"Oh," Shauna chuckled nervously. "Uhm… That wasn't me. I think it was a Pokémon."

Alain raised an eyebrow, not convinced by Shauna's explanation.

"I have to look for Serena too," she said after some time. "Let's just go together. It will be much faster with two set of eyes!"

"I'm fine on my-"

Before he could finish, Shauna began walking towards him, and as she passed him, she turned back and looked at him. "Are you coming?"

Alain shrugged his shoulders. "I guess…"

After the two got quite a few meters away from their hiding spot, Serena exhaled before standing up straight to stretch her legs. She didn't realize that she was holding her breath during the entire conversation.

"What was that about?" Ash asked, confused.

"Sorry," she said as they retreated from their hiding spot. "Shauna and I are friends again."

"Really? I knew you two were going to make up."

"Yeah… but, Shauna and Alain were good friends too. I want them to be close again," she said. It wasn't the entire truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"That's really nice of you Serena," he said before giving her a small smile.

"Serena!"

The honey blonde noticed a petite figure running her way. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the face of the girl who was running across the field, away from her friends.

"Oh, Dana!" Serena greeted the girl who was a part of the Coordinators program.

"Can you bring my book bag back to my dorm? We're on our way to the haunted house, and if it's anything like last year… well, I don't want my things getting wet."

Serena giggled. The year before, she was able to experience the terror of the haunted house. It was pretty much run by a bunch of ghost type Pokémon, and near the end, everyone got splashed by a bunch of water types.

"Sure," said Serena. "I'll put it in the lounge."

"Thanks so much!" The petite girl bowed down to her before scurrying off to her friends.

The honey blonde looked up at Ash, and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ash. If you're bored, you can go and try out the other games."

"I don't mind. It gives us a chance to hang out anyways. I don't really get to see you… aside from Professor Sycamore's class."

Serena smiled at him, and they began their walk to the female dorms.

* * *

The walk to the dorms was rather quiet. Aside from the sounds of Pikachu and Sylveon playing with one another on their walk there, her and Ash didn't exchange a single word. She really wanted to hear about his adventures in Alola, but she was too tired too ask. She had to admit it was lonely patrolling the events without a partner, but at the same time it gave her a chance to rest. During class, she was always talking to her peers, satisfying their curiosity about being in a Showcase. After that, she was at the council or with Dawn and the others, or training with her Pokémon. When she was finally in her room, ready to sleep, her and Shauna were catching up. There was just never time for herself.

It didn't mean that she didn't like having Ash hang around her though. She liked his company. She just didn't want him to think that she was boring.

She found it a little strange though. The Ash she knew in the past was always one to ramble on about the new Pokémon he found or exciting new things that happened to him. He hasn't told her anything about his life unless she asked about it. Was it because they were no longer close to one another? Or maybe it was because he was older now, and much more mature.

Serena took her gaze from off of the path in front of her, and turned her head slightly to glance at Ash. He looked so deep in thought. He's never looked like that unless he was having a hard time winning a badge. He was already a Champion though. What could be troubling him? It surely couldn't have been his classes. Serena's seen his schoolwork in Professor Sycamore's class. He was surprisingly organized, but in a messy way.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

Both Serena and Ash stopped in their tracks upon hearing a male voice.

"Whose that?" Serena asked in a hushed tone. The voice sounded foreign, yet somewhat familiar.

She didn't expect to hear a male voice coming from near the girl's dorm. It made her sort of anxious. If the girls were already sneaking boys into their own rooms, she was seriously going to have to talk some sense into the girl that was-

"C'mon Gary. We'll vote for you if you let us do this."

"Yeah. C'mon Gary. If you don't, we're gonna vote for that Serena chick."

The honey blonde's eyes widened upon hearing several other male voices. She especially didn't expect one of them to belong to Gary. He sounded so different when he wasn't speaking with such a cocky tone. This was probably the first time where she heard him sound… so… unsure.

"We're just going to set up a few pranks in their dorm, and maybe TP the area." Another voice said.

 _Pranks? TP?_ Serena turned her attention to Ash. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Beats me." Ash shrugged his shoulders.

Serena furrowed her eyebrows before clenching her fists tightly. If these guys were going to do something to the girl's dormitories, then they might as well say goodbye to their slot in the school. Headmaster Redwood needed to prove to the school board that adding the boys to the school was not a mistake. This surely was going to mess with his plans.

Serena stomped forwards before walking pass the arched gateway. "If you are interested in such pranks, I advise you to add it to the suggestion box," she said after seeing around a dozen guys standing in front of Gary. Aside from Gary, they were all wearing black, and their faces were plastered with war paint.

"S-Serena? What are you doing here?" Gary asked, stunned to see her.

Serena ignored his question, and looked at the dozen boys who looked disappointed to be caught by the current council president. "Pranks can be fun, and they can be implemented as an activity. As long as it gets approved with a few rules to prevent anyone from getting hurt."

"We can do that?!" One of the boys questioned.

"We can do almost anything. Within reason, of course. Now, I suggest that you all return to the event, and I'll see to it that I talk to Headmaster Redwood about your request."

"Are you serious?" Another one said.

"That's actually pretty awesome. At my old school they would have just said no."

"You know, I think I will vote for her."

"Me too."

Serena exhaled before turning around to watch the flock of boys leave the girl's side of the school. She then looked over to Ash who was staring at her with a surprised look on his face. She stifled a giggle upon seeing his reaction. When they were younger she was much weaker, and was unable to fend for herself. If only he was there to watch her grow up. She was a completely different person now.

"Wow, Serena," Gary mumbled. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be president."

Serena turned her attention back to Gary, still finding it quite weird that he wasn't being his usual narcissistic self.

"What?"

"It was easy to come up with ideas, but facing issues like this… I don't think I can do it," he sighed. "They've been pestering me for days, and I just didn't know how to handle it… The only reason I decided to run for president was to impress you. Try to get your attention. Maybe you'd go on a date with me if you saw how fit I was to be president."

"Your ideas weren't entirely bad," she said. "I thought the food truck was a good idea. Maybe not pizza everyday, but different food is always fun."

A small smile curved upon the brunette's face. "I'll just resign and let you keep your role," he said before placing his hands in his pockets. "Ashy-boy," he called out. "Let's go check out some mini games!"

As happy as she was to hear that Gary would resign, she felt like there could have been a better way to end this whole election fiasco. He went to Headmaster Redwood about the whole thing, and now all his effort was going to go to waste.

"Gary, wait," she said, grabbing onto his sleeve. "I think I have a better idea." She turned around to face him, as Ash walked over to the both of them.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Co-presidents."

* * *

The trio exited Headmaster Redwood's office. Serena stretched her arms above her head, feelings like a huge weight was just lifted from off of her shoulders. She no longer had to worry about keeping her spot as president. She now just had to worry about the terrible ideas that Gary was going to suggest in the future. Oh, that was definitely going to bring the weight back, but as for now she was just happy to have solved the issue.

Upon presenting her idea, Headmaster Redwood immediately took a liking into her suggestion, and stated that it was surely going to help with proving that the addition of boys to the school wasn't a bad idea. He then decided that an election was not going to happen in the spring, and the co-ed council was going to remain this way until the year after.

"This is great!" Gary said. "Now how about we celebrate with that date!" He stretched his arms above his head before resting one around the honey blonde's shoulder.

And for a second she thought she no longer had to deal with his … Garyness. She was wrong.

"Uhm…" Serena grabbed onto his wrist, and took his arm away from her personal space. "Since I saved you tonight, I no longer owe you a date."

"Wh-What? But Dawn lost! You owe me one!" He then looked over to Ash. "Tell her she owes me one!"

"I think I have to agree with Serena," Ash chuckled. "She no longer owes you a date."

"I will hurt you in your sleep tonight Ketchum."

Serena giggled before looking pass the complaining brunette to see Shauna and Alain heading their way. As the two came closer, Serena could see that the two had quite the night. Alain had a few glowing necklaces on him, and was even holding onto a couple prizes. With that, she had to claim that her plan was quite the success.

"Were you hiding from me?" Alain questioned, stomping over to the honey blonde. As he did, he shoved his prizes towards Shauna's chest. "Do you have any idea as to how hard it is to find you!? Do you not know how to answer a phone!?"

Or… maybe her plan didn't go as well as she thought…

Alain grabbed ahold of her wrist before dragging her around the hall to talk to her in private.

"I thought we were supposed to hang out. And here you are with Gary, and _him_!" He lowered his voice on the word him.

"Will you stop worrying about my relationship with Ash? I told you! I don't like him! He just happened to find me on my patrol," she said, annoyed by the fact that he always had to bring him up like he was some kind of parasitic insect.

"Yeah, or you just ditched me to be with him." He scowled.

"It's not like that," said Serena. "I just…" She decided to come clean. "Shauna and I are friends again and I want you two to be friends again too. So, I set you up to hang out with her tonight…" She admitted, and frowned upon receiving his deathly glares. "If you won't give Ash a chance, can you at least give Shauna a chance?"

"Fine." He sighed. "But if you want the two of us to be friends again, you could at least hangout with us."

"Okay." Serena smiled. "We'll do it on the weekend."

"Wh-what? I didn't mean-"

"Oh look. That's tomorrow!"

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Double Date**

"Ash!" she called out, banging on his door. "This is an emergency."

The door flung wide open, and Serena was welcomed to the Alolan Champion who was wearing nothing but boxers, and a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Se-Serena?!" He uttered through his stuffed mouth.

The honey blonde blushed as she stared at his six-pack. She then shook her head and met his eyes. "I need you to be my date!"

* * *

 **NOTE:** Okay, so maybe my last preview made it seem like there was going to be alot of amourhsipping this chap. I lied. LMAO. Don't 100% believe in the previews! haha Anywho, I still hoped you enjoyed it. :)

 _ **Leave a follow, or favorite or review or PM!**_


	13. Double Date

**NOTE:** Next chapter! Woot Woot! I know most of you guys are having exams right now, and I just want to wish you guys all luck. I'm not in school right now, so... I ain't feeling the stress you guys are feeling. haha. I will be going back to school next month though. :)

Again, I haven't checked out the anime yet because I want to wait until quite a few episodes are out, and then binge watch. haha. So no spoilers please!

Anywho, onto some reviews.

 _ **DJKitKat12:**_ _Um, how often do you post a chapter?_

 **I don't have a set date. I would say every Saturday at most, but I just update whenever I can. I don't like setting dates cause at that point it just feels like an assignment, and I enjoy writing it less.**

 _ **gabed1298:**_ Love the story and Halloween theme. (A little late but who cares XD) ...LILLIE! I love Lillie! She's definitely my new favourite character (or one of them at least). Just like with May and Ash, I find Lillie X ash to be cute too. But I am forever and always will be an amourshipper. Amourshipping FTW!

 **I just planned it for to be Halloween before halloween even came around. haha It would have been great if I was able to upload it the same day, but it just didn't work out that way. :P I don't know how Lillie is in the anime itself, but seeing her personality in the game is just absolutely adorable. I totally ship her with Ash too. haha But only with Kalos Ash (by that I mean his more mature self). :) Perhaps I'll write a story on those two. Does anyone know the shipping name for Ash x Lillie? haha**

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who left a review! - DaisyPragnya, FantasyLover88, Roger0326, Guest, UptownFunk, JayFan67, Q-A Authoress, aliensinnoh, DoodleRose.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: Double Date**

A bead of sweat fell from her forehead as the rays of the sun shone down on her. The honey blonde pulled her hair up into a bun before continuing her run across campus to the boy's dormitory. It was approximately 8:15 in the morning and she was dead set on completing her mission – to bring Shauna and Alain together.

Before she reeled herself into a deep slumber, Serena pondered a million ideas to make Shauna and Alain friends again. And then something more. But of course, something more couldn't happen until Alain forgave Shauna for her actions. In her mind, she was going to have the three of them hang out like old times, but then casually leave to give the two some space. She planned to take them to the Roller Rink in Lumiose City, a place where they use to hang out all the time. Alain probably wouldn't approve of it, but in the past, him and Shauna always went there to play in the arcade. It was the perfect setting to get them talking. They were both really into gaming.

When she awoke that morning, she realized a minor flaw in her plan. As she scrolled down her PokeTab to double check that the Roller Rink was still open she came across the event page. _Come on the first of every month for couple's day._ She wasn't even aware that they held such an event. Then again, she was pretty much single her whole life. And no, Alain didn't count in her book.

Serena ran her way up the stairs, towards the entrances that lead her to the researcher's side of the dormitories. She received a bunch of glances from the guys walking pass her, and she thought it was because a girl was running to their dormitories so early in the morning on the weekend. But then she realized that it was because she was in her pajamas – A white plain shirt with yellow shorts patterned with a bunch of Psyduck's. She didn't even bother to put on some shoes. She instead left with her Psyduck slippers. The set came from the time her and her schoolmates went to Kanto Academy for the annual 'Unity of the Seven' event. Of course, that was a whole different story.

She was in a hurry. She planned for them to leave exactly at 11AM. She would have them leave sooner if they could, but she knew Shauna was going to take endless hours getting ready for the day. Shauna was even up for an hour before her trying to choose the right color of nail polish.

The honey blonde tugged on the handle of the glass door before swinging it right open and letting herself into the building. She passed by a couple guys in their own pajamas, most likely making their way to the lounging area for breakfast. She received more strange stares, but again, that wasn't going to stop her from her mission.

She took a turn, finally seeing the large black lettering of 7B beside the door. She stopped for a second, catching her breath before ensuing with her mission. She then lifted her hand up to the door, making a fist before knocking on it three times. "Ash!" she called out, continuing to bang on his door. "This is an emergency!" That surely had to get his attention if he was still sleeping. And if he was gone, well, she just hoped that Gary wasn't there to ask her what she needed. That would be a nightmare.

Startled, Serena took a step back as the door flung wide open. Her lips slightly parted in shock as her eyes were welcomed to an entirely different Ash. He was wearing nothing, but boxers, and the first thing her eyes laid on was his chest. It was well toned with a slight six pack. She never thought much about Ash's body type, but coming to think about it now, it made sense that he would look that way. Given all the training he did with his Pokémon, his body was probably already close to looking like this when they traveled together in the past.

Serena shook her head, not wanting him to notice that she was checking him out. She glanced upwards at the boy who still looked to be half asleep with a toothbrush in his mouth. Either he had something to do, or Gary interrupted him from his sweet slumber. "Ash…" she said once more.

He rubbed his right eye with his free hand, and his mouth widened in shock, nearly dropping the toothbrush that was hanging out of it. "Se-Serena?!" He said surprised, with a bright red face. Her presence was surely one giant wake up slap. He then shut the door on her, startling her once more.

She bit her bottom lip, ready to knock on the door again, but instead, she brought her head close to the door, hearing the boy shuffle a few things around in his room. In a couple minutes, the door opened once more, and Serena was now welcomed to a boy in a blue shirt, black shorts, and minty fresh breath.

"Wh-What…" His voice cracked. He then coughed, clearing his voice. "What is it? You said it was an emergency."

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything. What is it?"

"I need you to be my date for today," she said. The old her wouldn't even be able to ask such a thing, and here she was now, doing it.

"What!?" Gary's voice was suddenly heard behind the washroom door that Serena could see behind Ash's shoulder. "DATE!?"

The bathroom door swung wide open, and Serena was immediately welcomed to Gary, wearing nothing but a towel draped around his waist. He rushed to the door, pushing Ash to the side, his freshly showered hair leaving drops of water everywhere.

Serena blinked several times upon seeing Gary's torso. He was a little scrawny compared to Ash, and his complexion was rather blinding. Almost as blinding as her own.

"I'll be your date," said Gary.

"I didn't ask you," Serena said, using the palm of her hand to shield her eyes away from seeing too much Gary. She swore his towel was about to fall off any second now, and she surely didn't want to see what was under there. "I asked Ash."

"Why not me?" He pouted. "You owe me one."

"After last night, not anymore," said Serena.

"Serena," Ash said as Gary just stood there, exhaling through his nose. "I'll be your date for today." He swatted Gary off to the side, urging him to put on some clothes.

"Thank you so much, Ash!" Serena said with a wide smile before pulling Ash into a hug. "You don't know how much this means to me." She then let go, and made eye contact. "I'll see you at the bus stop to Lumiose City at 11!"

"Ye-Yeah, of course," he replied.

"Ashy-boy," Gary could be heard in the background. "You're stealing my girl. Just wait until you go to bed tonight!"

* * *

Serena stood with Shauna next to the bus stop that would bring them straight to Lumiose City.

"Do you think I'm overdressed?" Shauna asked, nervously.

The honey blonde looked over to her friend who clearly dressed up for the occasion. She was wearing a pink casual dress with a black bow located between her collarbones. To match, she wore a few pink bracelets, and pink flats. She even wore pink lipstick, and Serena knew Shauna meant business when she would put on lipstick.

In comparison, Serena just wore a plain white shirt, and blue jeans. If Alain saw her overdressed, especially with Ash now tagging along, he was going to assume things. And lately, he's been assuming a lot between her and Ash, when she barely even spent that much time with him.

"Alain!" Serena called out upon seeing the dark haired boy leaving the entrance of the school.

"Good morning," he said after joining the two.

"Good morning," Shauna greeted rather shyly.

"You look… nice." He managed to compliment her, and Serena could already tell that he was trying for her sake. He was pretty awkward about it, but he wasn't always the best when it came to social situations.

Serena smiled as Shauna attempted to start up a conversation. She then glanced over behind Alain, noticing Ash wandering out the gates with Pikachu perched up on his shoulder.

"Ash!" she called out, waving him over.

The Alolan Champion immediately jerked his head to the side, bobbing his head before finally noticing the trio standing at the bus stop.

Upon seeing the raven haired Champion, Alain pulled Serena's waving hand down and began dragging her to the side.

"What is he doing here?" Alain gritted through his teeth while glaring at the honey blonde. "I thought you said that you two were just partners in one of Professor Sycamore's class."

Serena bit her bottom lip before putting on her best puppy dog look. Alain hated doing anything that put him out of his comfort zone, especially if it involved spending an entire day with the two people he absolutely despised. With his introvert kind of personality, this day was surely going to keep him locked in his room for some time.

"I wouldn't have had to do this if you just opened up to Shauna yesterday," Serena replied. After seeing the prizes that Shauna and Alain won the day before, Serena thought the two were bonding over the mini games. She was wrong. As they entered a few of the buildings, they were forced into playing the games. Just as expected, Alain would decline, but with the teachers around, he was forced to play. Shauna described it as awkward and uncomfortable. She was trying to make the best of the situation, but he wasn't. He was being… typical Alain.

"Why does he have to tag along?" Alain asked with downcast eyes.

"I planned on going to the roller rink, but I didn't realize it was couples day today. I had to bring someone."

He looked up, snuggly fitting his hands into his pockets while scoffing at her answer. "You knew it was couples day. You're doing this on purpose."

"I am not," she retorted, her arms crossed over her chest. She glanced over at Shauna and Ash who were engaged in a conversation. Why couldn't Alain be as charismatic as Ash? She could hear Ash talk about how his classes were going. They weren't even that close, yet they were talking like they knew each other so well. Mid-sentence, the raven haired trainer took his eyes away from Shauna, and smiled at the honey blonde. Serena smiled back before raising her index finger, signifying that she just needed a moment with Alain. Ash nodded his head before returning his attention back to the brunette causing Serena to return her own attention back to Alain who was deep in thought.

"Why couldn't you bring Dawn? Or Miette? Or May?" he asked. "A couple doesn't have to be a boy and a girl."

Serena pondered that immediately after reading the event page on the site. She didn't mind if one of them were to tag along. They could bond far more than they already have, and they could even go shopping. That was something Serena hasn't done in a long while, and she was craving to do so. Too bad none of them were fit for the job. Dawn and May were rather uncomfortable by Alain's presence. They always compared him to a cursed object. Whenever he hung out with them (which was rarely), they always went to bed feeling like a part of their soul was sucked out of them. Well, at least, that was their explanation of how it felt to be around him. And Miette… well, if she wanted to tag along, it would be forbidden in Serena's books. Miette always tended to make things awkward for her own amusement. She was always blunt, and whenever she was curious about something, she just had to ask about it. Serena just knew that she would bombard Ash on his love life and constantly give hints out to Alain about Shauna's crush on him. It would be a complete disaster.

"It just wouldn't fit," Serena decided to say. "You've hung out with them before. You should know."

Alain sighed, looking away in embarrassment. That meant that she was right. "I'm only doing this for you Serena. I'm keeping a close eye on Ash too," he said before walking away from her to join the others.

It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but it was better than she expected.

* * *

They sat at a square table with Alain and Shauna sitting on either side of the honey blonde, and Ash sitting right across from her. The place looked exactly the same as it did years ago. At the center was the huge roller rink, and just a little ways beyond that was an entrance leading into an arcade. Currently, they were in the snacking area where most people sat when there was a roller-skating competition or some kind of show. Serena felt nostalgic just looking at the snack bar. The three of them used to spend hours here with Clemont and Bonnie, eating plates of Kalos Frites. Most of their time was dedicated to eating Kalos Frites, watching shows, or playing in the arcade. They rarely spent their time actually roller-skating.

Serena darted her eyes from left to right, the awkwardness increasing by the second. She wanted Shauna or Alain to say something to one another. Alain was looking down with his arms crossed, uninterested in starting a conversation. On the other hand, Shauna sat there with her fingers fumbling between the strap of her purse, and her eyes darting all over the area, looking at everything, but Alain. And Ash, well, his and Pikachu's gaze were constantly shifting between the three with a look of confusion on their faces. Serena felt bad for not explaining the entire situation to him, but at least he tagged along anyways.

It was a half an hour bus ride to Lumiose City, and during the ride there, Ash sat next to Shauna and the two were talking the entire time about what they achieved over the years. Serena really wanted Shauna to sit next to Alain and catch up with him, but thanks to Alain, it didn't happen. Instead, he dragged the honey blonde to the back of the bus, and they sat there in complete silence. He had his eyes closed, almost like he was asleep, but Serena just knew that he was plotting the day to work in his favor. And by plotting, Serena knew he was trying to find a way to keep her away from Ash.

"So…" Ash said while looking around the area. "Are we going to be roller-skating?" He raised an eyebrow.

Serena shifted her eyes to look at Ash, and the other two did the same.

"No, we're going to play in the arcade," Serena said, taking this time to put her plan into motion.

"We are?" Shauna asked.

"Yes!" Serena said before discreetly winking at her friend. She reached into her bag and pulled out her coin purse. She then handed it over to Shauna. "Why don't you and Alain head over there and play that game you used to always play?" she suggested. "Uhm… that shooting game?"

"Blastoise Run?" Shauna questioned, clasping the coin purse between her hands.

Serena nodded her head. "Ash and I will grab some snacks and meet you there."

"Why don't we grab some toget-" Alain started, but then grunted as Serena kicked him in the shin. "Fine." he deadpanned. "We'll meet you there."

"Great!" Serena smiled before standing up and urging the two to head over to the arcade.

After a few minutes, the two were out of her sight, and Serena immediately turned to face Ash who still had a look of confusion plastered across his face.

"I'm sorry," she apologized before taking a seat next to him at the table. "I probably should have explained the situation to you."

"It's fine," he smiled. "Yesterday, you said that you wanted to repair the friendship between those two. I knew something was up when you asked me to be your date, and I kind of pieced it all together when I saw the three of you at the bus stop."

Serena was surprised, and very much impressed to see that Ash was able to get what she was trying to do. The Ash she knew back then was unable to comprehend such things. He would most likely tag along to satisfy his thirst of seeing Lumiose City once more. Plus, he would probably want to visit all the battle cafes around the city. Of course, he would say yes because he was a good friend, but Serena was actually surprised to see that he hasn't even suggested going to a place that involved training or battling of the sorts. It was strange, and it made Serena much more curious as to how he has become this way.

"Do you think their friendship will be fixed?" he asked.

"I hope so…" Serena looked down to the edge of the table where a portion of white paint has been chipped off.

"So, is it okay for me to ask you why Shauna was mad?"

Serena looked up at him, meeting his curious brown eyes. "I actually didn't ask her…" she decided to lie. It wasn't so bad to say that it was because Shauna had feelings for Alain, but Alain ended up dating her. She just didn't want him to ask about how her and Alain got together. How was she going to answer that? "But, I'm trying to make it up to her right now," she said, changing the subject. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, of course." He then looked down to his buddy who nodded in agreement.

"Alain is my closest friend, and he means a lot to me. He always takes my feelings into consideration and always puts me before anyone else. I'm so lucky to have him in my life." Serena could see a frown forming upon Ash's face. "But," she continued. "Sometimes I need my own space, and I feel like he needs to get his own girlfriend." She then lowered her voice, and leaned in closer to Ash. "Shauna has a crush on him and to make up for how angry I made her, I want to bring those two together."

"Really?" He perked up, the sudden reveal capturing more of his interest. He looked happy and relieved to hear those words coming out of her mouth.

Serena tilted her head in curiosity. Ash was trying to suppress a grin, and it was making her wonder about what was going on in his mind. What could have possibly happened in Alola to make him understand relationships? He told her that everyone he traveled with was dating or had a crush on someone, but how did that affect him?

"What are you thinking abo-"

She was interrupted by an immense amount of loud cheers coming from somewhere in the Roller Rink. Her and Ash turned their heads as the cheers got louder, and Serena could see that it was coming from the arcade. All the people around them began to scurry over to the arcade to witness the ruckus. Curious, Serena and Ash did the same.

The two began to maneuver themselves around the crowd. As they began to shove a few people aside, Serena realized that someone was probably getting near to beating the high score on one of the games. As she danced her way through the crowd, she felt another wave of nostalgia hit her. If she remembered clearly, this part of the arcade was where that shooting game was. The one that Alain and Shauna played together all the time when they were younger.

The cheers were suddenly a billion times louder, and as Serena made one final push to the front of the crowd, her mouth dropped in amazement. The first thing her eyes made contact with were the words scrolling on the screen in front of her – New High Score! She then looked up at the sign depicting what game it was, and she couldn't believe her eyes. It was indeed, Blastoise Run, and standing just beneath the sign was Shauna and Alain, giving each other a high five with a smile plastered on both of their faces.

Serena smiled widely, feeling like her plan was indeed a foolproof one. She just knew that this game was surely the one thing that would bring those two together again. It was surprising to see that they were able to beat it after so many years of not playing it. It was even more surprising to see that they were able to beat the high score. It all worked in her favor though, and that was all she cared about.

She took a step forward, ready to congratulate the two, but then she felt two bodies brush up against her, beating her to it. And then a few more individuals began to shove her aside, chanting Alain and Shauna's names in the process.

The honey blonde yelped, feeling like she was a pebble on a road being tossed back and forth by oncoming drivers. She felt a hand grab onto her wrist, and pull her off to the side.

She smiled, thankful that it was Ash and not some random person. She then returned her attention back to Shauna and Alain who were now being carried by the large crowd. Shauna looked rather happy, and even made herself comfortable upon their shoulders. Alain on the other hand was trying to pull himself back down, but was unable to do so. In a flash, the two were dragged out of the arcade, and onto the streets of Lumiose City with everyone chanting "CELEBRATORY LUNCH!"

Serena blinked several times, feeling distraught about the events that just happened in front of her. "What just happened…?" she questioned, feeling a bit disoriented.

"Should we follow them?" Ash asked, pointing to the exit. "They said celebration lunch… and I think I'm starting to feel a little hungry my self… You know, since we're here, I think it would be nice to eat all of the Kalos specials. Those Kalos Frites sound tasty."

Serena giggled upon hearing his stomach grumble. Ash may have changed, but his love for food was certainly still there. How was it possible for him to have a six-pack and still crave all of that food?

"Let's go follow them," said Serena. "I'm sure they are taking those two to a place that has all the food that you want to eat." She grabbed Ash's hand and began to lead him towards the exit.

"I can't wait!"

The two exited the arcade to see that the large group was out of sight. Serena turned her head from left to right, squinting her eyes in the process. It's barely been two minutes. They couldn't have gotten that far. Serena jogged over to the left, peeking into the alley to see if they took a shortcut to their destination.

"Aww man," Ash groaned after catching up to the honey blonde.

"They are really fast…." Serena said while reaching into her purse. She pulled out her phone and began to dial Shauna's number, but after a few several rings, she was taken straight to Shauna's voicemail. She then hung up, and ended up calling Alain's cell, but she ended up with the same results. "They are with a huge crowd… I don't think they are able to hear their phones."

Ash sighed as Serena began to redial Shauna's number. "You did say that you wanted to get those two together… It's just the two of them plus a couple dozen strangers…" He chuckled.

Serena smiled before hanging up her phone. She was taken straight to voicemail again.

"I guess you and I should do our own thing then," she said. "Is there somewhere you want to eat?" She looked over to Ash who had his eyes glued to something ahead of him.

Serena followed his gaze, turning her head in the process until her eyes came into contact with the Lumiose Tower.

"Is Clemont still the gym leader?" Ash asked.

Serena could tell that Ash was curious to see the Lumiose siblings, and see what they were up too. She hasn't had much time herself to visit the two often, but she was fairly up to date with their lives.

"I don't know." Serena winked. "I guess you'll just to see." She began heading towards the tower.

"If he is, I definitely have to battle with him again."

Serena giggled. It's been quite some time since the four of them were together.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: The Lumiose Siblings**

"Serena!" Bonnie pouted, her arms crossed. "You need to visit more often! I would visit you, but you know I'm busy at the gym!"

"I'm sorry, Bonnie," The honey blonde apologized before bowing down to her long time friend. "I've just been so busy at school."

"You mean you've been busy with Alain." Bonnie snickered, a smug look plastered across her face.

"Wh-What? No I'm not!"

"Last time I checked, Alain was your boyfriend! Of course you're busy with him!" The blonde puckered her lips and made a kissy face while adding kissy sounds for extra effect.

"Bo-Boyfriend?!" Ash blurted out in shock.

* * *

 **NOTE:** Okay guys. The time has come. There will be much more amourshipping moments in future chapters. I don't mean whole chapters will be dedicated to those two, but there will be more interactions between the two. Thanks for being patient! Just as another hint though... something may happen in the next chapter that causes Serena to think more about Ash. HOHOHO. I've said too much...

Anywho, **_Leave a follow, favorite, PM, or review! :D_**


	14. The Lumiose Siblings

**NOTE:** I've been working alot on my Miraculous story, and thought that this story deserved some loving too... so here I am with another chapter just a few days later! :)

Onto some reviews! I've replied to these two people in a PM, but I thought you guys may be wondering the same thing, so...

 _ **aliensinnoh:**_ _I'm just wondering, how come whenever Serena has memories, its never memories of her, Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont? It's always Her, Alain, and Shauna. Does her original journey mean nothing to her?_

 **There was never really any memories because Serena is constantly thinking about her current problems. She had problems with Shauna, so she thought about Shauna more. The same goes with Alain or anyone else really. I don't think you'd randomly think about others when you have current things to deal with. Plus, she tried so hard to get over Ash, and that had to include the memories that involved him. She remembers it all, but just buried it in her past. That doesn't mean those times didn't mean anything to her though.**

 _ **StreetRacer-Sam:**_ _With Alain acting this way, have you forgotten their Kalos League Final match? They became good friends. Or have you not included it in the story? Or a girl is too much for two boys to handle? They don't seem on good terms anymore?_

 **This is an AU, so it loosely follows the events of the anime. At most I would just say that the four traveled together and Alain defeated Ash. They became friends, yeah, but after Mairin died and Serena helped him, he ended up falling for Serena. He didn't like that Serena was always sad because of Ash, so he ended up disliking Ash for that reason.**

 _ **DeretAmourShipping:**_ _Can Ash sing a song in a Event Like Alesso- I wanna know ft Nico and Vinz please?_

 **I didn't apply to this one in a PM, but I don't really have events planned out in this story, other than the halloween one. However, the next one has a lot more events happening, so I'll see if I can add some kind of singing to it...**

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who reviewed the chapter! - FantasyLover88, Daisy Pragnya**_ (thanks for telling me the shipping name) _ **, Sol, Q-A Authoress, gabed1298, Guest, Roger0326, UptownFunk, LuigiTSG**_ (I hope you finished your project, and get an A) _ **, KallyC.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: The Lumiose Siblings**

"Alright, Dedenne! Thunderbolt!"

The honey blonde smiled upon hearing the voice that belonged to one of her first and closest friends. She glanced over to her right at Ash whose pace was quickening with anticipation. Serena just knew that he had to witness the outcome of the battle. Of course, Pikachu just had to see it too. His little buddy jumped off of his shoulder the second Bonnie's voice was heard, and immediately scampered ahead of the two. It's tiny ears perked up upon hearing the electric whirrs coming from Dedenne's Thunderbolt. As Ash's brisk walk turned into a jog, Serena found herself also running, eager to see her friend once more.

Serena came to a stop right beside Ash and her eyes were welcomed to Dedenne standing on the center of the battlefield with a few scars on its cheeks, and its fur damp and murky. Opposite from where the tiny hamster like Pokémon stood was a Croconaw. The water type Pokémon laid on the battlefield, unmoving, and just as Serena's eyes glazed it, ClemBot, the referee announced Gym Leader Bonnie as the winner of the round.

Serena smiled again upon seeing the robot that Clemont built when they were kids. It still looked to be functioning exceptionally well, and still had the indent on its head. Every time she caught a glimpse of the indent, it always reminded her of the time when she asked Clemont why he wouldn't fix it. Believe it or not, at one point, Clemont's inventions stopped exploding, so Serena asked Clemont if he thought about repairing the indent. She was confident that he wouldn't mess up any of ClemBot's programming in the process. But Clemont refused to do so. He simply stated that he wouldn't do it because it was now apart of ClemBot's personality.

"Water type Pokémon are weak against Electric moves." Serena's gaze shifted over to the left, away from ClemBot. She looked over at Bonnie who continued to give her analysis. "I will say your Croconaw is one of the most strongest water Pokémon I've ever battled. You did say that you trained it to be able to withstand electric moves, and it really did surprise me when you proved that right. However, Dedenne is much smaller and is able to run much faster. Because of its size and speed, in the end, I was able to win the battle."

Serena's eyes glistened as she stared at Bonnie with her mouth slightly agape. She was amazed by Bonnie's ability to offer advice to the individual who decided to challenge the Lumiose City Gym. Not only that, Bonnie was growing up beautifully. Bonnie was taller than the last time Serena saw her. She was even starting to develop in places that every girl did once they hit a certain age. Her hair was also longer than before, and her braid was still intact. The only difference was, instead of it being right above her forehead, the young leader had the hair meticulously braided across the back of her head, fully braided to one side. Serena remembered practicing the hairstyle on Bonnie for her cosmetology class. Bonnie liked it so much, she asked her to teach her how to do it. It was great to see that she was still holding onto keeping that style as her signature look.

It felt like it was just yesterday where Clemont decided to place the fate of the gym in Bonnie's hands. Serena could remember how excited Bonnie was when she received her own key to the gym. She could also remember how nervous she was feeling, and how she started off as a laughing stock to all the trainers in Kalos. It was a rocky start, but in the end, Bonnie was able to prove herself as a worthy gym leader. She didn't have as much experience as the others, nor did she have the greatest strategies, but she was working her way up to becoming one of the very best.

It was a strange thing for Serena to think that all those things happened a little over two years ago. It was even stranger for her to think that the last time she even talked to Bonnie was that long ago too. She's seen her at a few social events in the past, but they weren't able to talk during them because they were so busy with their own thing. She wasn't even sure as to when she saw Clemont last. He was asked to help with installing his _Clemontic Showers_ all over Kalos. He was always traveling around, and when Serena came to visit, he was rarely there, so most of the time, it was just Bonnie and herself.

"No way!" Ash called out in utter shock. "Bonnie! You're the gym leader now!?" The raven haired Champion smacked his cheeks with the palm of his hands in disbelief.

As the opponent exited the gym with the help of ClemBot, the young blonde turned her attention to the two who stood at the edge of the battlefield. She jumped, startled to see the special visitors who came unexpectedly. "Ash!? Serena!? Is that you!?" She called out with a wide grin overtaking her face. "No way! I must be dreaming!" The gym leader smacked the palm of her hand against her head repeatedly. After being convinced that the visit was apart of her reality, the young blonde ran over to the two, and pulled them both into a tight hug.

"Pika pi!"

As the three reunited, Serena looked over Bonnie's shoulder to see Pikachu reuniting with its electric buddy. The two tiny Pokémon began to chase each other around in circles. The sight of its old friend was enough to recharge Dedenne's lack of energy.

"It's been awhile," Serena said, feeling Bonnie's immense grip squeeze the life out of her. As Bonnie pulled her in close with her one arm, Serena could see that Bonnie was a couple inches taller than her now. In the past, Shauna deemed Bonnie as an amazon. She predicted that Bonnie would be much taller than the both of them, and her deathly hug would be known as her weapon. It was a hug Serena surely missed.

Serena turned her head to look at Ash who was experiencing the deathly hug for the first time. His face turned red causing Serena to laugh. This was just with one arm. If he experienced it with two, well, he would probably be sent to the hospital.

The three ended their group embrace, and Serena could tell that Ash was discreetly trying to gasp for some air.

"You're all grown up now!" said Ash, still stunned by Bonnie's appearance. "And you're the gym leader too! We have to have a battle this instant! Where's Clemont? We should have a double battle!" His eyes began to sparkle, and the two girls already knew that he was already imagining the outcome in his head.

"That's a really good idea, Ash," said Bonnie. "But unfortunately, we can't. A few things changed in the couple years, and now you have to make an appointment. We're completely booked for two weeks."

"What!? Man…" Ash's jaw dropped. He looked as if his dreams were crushed. "Why is that?"

Bonnie glanced up at Serena with a worried look on her face before turning to look at Ash with a small smile. "I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders. "That's just how it is."

Serena knew exactly why it was that way though. It was because of Alain. Everyone who was a part of maintaining the Kalos League swore to secrecy to not reveal that the current Champion was unable to battle. They put a robot there in case it had to happen, and at one point, it did. The challenger lost, but was able to tell that Alain was not Alain. It was a robot. An AlainBot, made by Clemont. The challenger felt cheated, like he worked so hard for nothing. He ended up telling every trainer about his experience, and at first most people thought it was because Alain was just that good. But after years of not being able to see Alain battle on TV during live events, people were starting to believe that the challenger was telling the truth. The rumors spread to other regions, sprouting hundreds of trainers to come to Kalos to strive and take the role of Kalos Champion. Because of this, trainers now had to book appointments at the gyms.

"Serena!" Bonnie pouted, causing the honey blonde to break away from her thoughts of Alain. "You need to visit more often! I would visit you, but you know I'm busy here at the gym!"

"I'm sorry Bonnie," The honey blonde apologized before bowing down to her long time friend. "I've just been so busy at school."

It was true. She dedicated almost all of her time to training and doing her schoolwork. The only time she really left was during the semester break – to visit her mom. She supposed she could have made time to visit Bonnie then, but she just had so much to tell to her mom. Then again, she somehow managed to make time to bring Alain and Shauna out for a date. Right now she should be training for the next Showcase, but she decided on this. If she could make time for a date, then she could make time for Bonnie.

"You mean you've been busy with Alain," Bonnie snickered, a smug look plastered on her face.

"Wh-What?" Serena's face turned bright red, taken aback from Bonnie's comment.

"Last time I checked, Alain was your boyfriend! Of course you're busy with him!" The blonde puckered her lips and made a kissy face while adding kissy sounds for extra effect.

"Bo-Boyfriend!?" Ash blurted out in shock.

"Yeah!" Bonnie said, cheerfully. "You didn't know?! I remember Alain kissing her on the cheek, and telling her that he would miss her before he had to go somewhere." Bonnie began to giggle.

"What? Really?" Ash asked, looking away.

"That was a long time ago!" Serena tried, but Bonnie just wouldn't stop with the memories.

"He was the perfect boy for you, and I bet he still is!" Bonnie teased. "I knew you were too shy to kiss him on the lips. It's been awhile since then though, have you-"

"BONNIE!" Serena screamed out, her face turning a bright shade of red.

"What?" Bonnie blinked several times before looking to her with innocence. "Did I say something wrong?"

"What is going on?!"

The trio turned their attention to the doorway on the opposite end from where they stood. Serena squinted her eyes to see Clemont coming their way. He pretty much looked the same. He was just much taller, and a bit more muscular than before. He was always lifting parts for his machines; he was bound to build some kind of muscle. His hair was even more disheveled than the last time Serena saw him. But it was most likely because he spent so much time trying to figure things out, and hardly ever looked at himself in the mirror. Serena always told him that he would never be able to get a girlfriend that way. He never responded to her comment. He would just blush, and it was because Serena knew that Clemont had a crush on one of the other scientists in his group. Serena couldn't remember her name, but she remembered that Clemont always froze on the spot whenever she asked him a question.

"Ash!? Serena!?" The inventor began his awkward run to the trio. "My word." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose while inspecting the two in front of him. "It's been quite awhile, hasn't it?"

"It really has," said Ash. "Are you working on something, Clemont?" He began to eye the oil grease and other unknown liquids that stained his coveralls.

"I'm always working on something," Clemont stated. "I never stop for science!" A proud look overtook his face as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Too bad the name of your inventions still need some work," Bonnie teased.

"Bonnie!" Clemont looked offended. "My names are simply thorough."

"That's what instructions are for."

Serena giggled as she watched the siblings bicker for the first time in a while. She missed it a lot. In fact, being in the same room as the three who were with her during her first adventure made her miss her traveling days. It was fun being in school, but traveling around was much more refreshing. It was always a new thing everyday, and she never had to worry about a due date. Maybe the four of them could embark on a new adventure after her and Ash graduated from the academy.

"I just got lunch setup," said Clemont. "Bonnie has a few more trainers to battle today. I want to make sure her and her Pokémon are energized for the rest of the day. Would you two like to join us?"

"You bet!" Ash said, making a fist. "I'm starving."

* * *

The foursome sat by the dining table placed in Clemont's cluttered office room. Serena and Ash sat by one another with the two siblings sitting across from them. Sitting next to the table was all of their Pokémon, munching on their Pokémon food. It was a happy sight for Serena to see. All of her Pokémon were happy to be reunited with the first Pokémon they ever made friends with. Chespin and Pancham were even sitting next to each other without arguing, and all of their newer Pokémon were enjoying their time as well. Ash had a completely different team all from Alola. Other than Pikachu he had a Decidueye, an Alolan Sandslash, Komala, Turtonator, and a Mimikyu. While Serena was helping Clemont finish setting up the table, Bonnie was examining each of Ash's tropical Pokémon. She was especially curious about Sandslash and Mimikyu. Ash on the other hand was admiring Bonnie's Pokémon. Back then, she only had Dedenne and Dedenne was still considered as Clemont's Pokémon because she was too young to have one. Now, Bonnie had three extra Pokémon on her team – Mareep, Manetric, and Minun.

Serena hasn't even seen Ash's team until this moment, and it made her much more curious about his life in Alola. How did he meet all of them? What other kind of Pokémon were there? She thought he would have shown her his team the second they saw each other at the academy. But he didn't.

Her curiosity was satiated when Clemont's own curiosity caused him to bombard the Alolan Champion with a never-ending list of questions. Usually, Ash would be stuffing his face, and at first he did, but once Clemont began to ask questions, Ash stopped to answer. They spent what felt like hours catching up with one another. Ash talked about how his Dedidueye was his starter Pokémon. But at first, it was a Rowlett. He talked about how he met his Mimikyu in an abandoned market, and how Komala joined his team because he helped it find its log. He went on and on about his adventures and explained these things he called trials. It sounded fascinating and made Serena want to travel there one day too.

Serena told Bonnie and Clemont about how she was able to compete in the Showcases again. She even told them about how she reconciled with Shauna, but wanted to save the details for another day. They were all happy with her, and then began to tell her and Ash about what they've been up too. Bonnie's been enjoying her time growing stronger as a gym leader, but explained that she wanted to become a Pokémon breeder. She even stated that she applied at the academy and was just waiting for a response. Serena was happy to hear that, and surely hoped that Bonnie would be accepted.

Clemont talked about a new invention. An invention that put a twist to his _Clemontic Showers._ The _Clemontic Showers_ was typically used to recharge electric Pokémon. Clemont decided to create an invention called the _Joyous Showers._ It would the same, except it would be able to heal every type of Pokémon. It was to be like a miniature Pokémon Center, and would provide some healing aide if a trainer wasn't anywhere close to one. It was still recommended to get a check up by Nurse Joy once they reached an actual Pokémon Center, but if a Pokémon were in critical condition, it was aimed to lessen the pain until they were able to get ahold of Nurse Joy. It was a great idea, and Serena was happy to see that he was working on it with no problems. He even showed how it worked by using it on Dedenne, and Serena was absolutely amazed.

"Enough about us though," said Bonnie as they each began to dig into their own Lumiose Galette. "You need to tell me more about you and Alain. Why did you break up!?"

Serena almost choked while chewing on her food. She coughed before reaching out to take a swig from her glass of water. "What do you mean, Bonnie?" Serena eyed the blonde with warning. Clemont was unaware of the fact that she dated him because of her undying love for Ash.

"Was he able to get you over you know who?" she whispered.

"They're at it again," sighed Clemont.

"What do you mean?" asked Ash. "Whose 'you know who'? I must have missed out on a lot."

"No, I was here most of the time, and I still don't know who 'you know who is'."

The two girls giggled.

"It's a girl thing," said Clemont. "I've speculated that girls act a certain way when they try to talk about important things in front of other people who they don't want to let in on their secret."

"Ohh…" said Ash in realization. "That means they must be talking about a boy…" He hesitated to continue. But he did anyway and as he did, he looked over to Serena with a sad look on his face. "A boy that Serena must like?"

"How do you know that!?" The two siblings yelled out in shock.

"And I thought you were dense!" Bonnie said out loud. "I guess it's just my brother now."

"What do you mean?" Clemont blinked several times, still not understanding the situation. "I'm not dense!"

"Yes you are," Bonnie deadpanned before looking back to Ash. "How do you know anything about relationships? Could it be that you had a girlfriend in Alola?"

"Wh-What?" Ash gulped. "I didn't!"

"I asked him the same thing, Bonnie," said Serena. "Look at him he's sweating."

The two girls inched closer to the boy, their eyes unblinking. Serena could make out some sweat dripping from Ash's forward, and she could see that the topic was making him extra uncomfortable. He had to have had a girlfriend in Alola. He couldn't have gone from dense to some sort of specialist without some kind of experience with it.

"I told you, Serena," he said, nervously. "A lot of my traveling companions were dating or had a crush on someone… I was just around it a lot…"

"Right," said Bonnie, unconvinced. She then reached under the table, and pulled out a pen and notepad. "I'm gonna need the numbers of these so called companions and their names."

 _Ringgg Ringgg!_

"Oh, look… Serena, I think your phone is ringing," Ash chuckled nervously.

"Oh." The honey blonde leaned back into her seat and reached over for her purse that was hanging off the edge of her chair. She pulled out her phone, and saw Shauna's name flashing on her screen. "It's Shauna," she said.

She pressed on the green button before bringing the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Hey! It's me!"_ said Shauna. _"I'm sorry for not being able to answer my phone. Those people at the arcade treated us to lunch. They then wanted Alain and I to teach them a few of our moves."_

"That's fine. Ash and I assumed so."

 _"_ _We're done now though, and we'll be heading back to the Roller Rink. Shall we see you there?"_

"Yeah, no problem."

And with that Serena hung up her phone. "Sorry, you guys," she said. "But its time for us to go. We have to meet Alain and Shauna back at the Roller Rink."

"Roller Rink?" Bonnie perked up. "Clemont, we need to get some Kalos Frites one of these days!"

"Sure, Bonnie… if you don't have a gym battle." The oldest sibling looked down to his watch before looking back up. "Your next opponent should be here soon."

"It was really nice seeing the both of you again," said Ash. "We really do need to battle next time though. If we don't, I'm gonna throw a fit."

"So, if I beat you would that make me Champion of Alola?" Bonnie joked as they stood up from their seats.

"You're not gonna beat me."

"We'll see about that!"

"Bonnie," said Serena. "I really hope to see you at the academy next semester."

"You can count on it!"

* * *

Serena and Ash made their way back to the Roller Rink, and took a seat on one of the bench's just outside the joint. They sat there in complete silence for ten minutes, watching the citizens of Lumiose city pass by them.

"Serena?"

Serena took her eyes off the items at the nearest boutique shop. "Yeah?" she said, turning her face to look at him.

"So… Alain was your first boyfriend?"

Serena pursed her lips together before looking away in embarrassment. She didn't think that Ash would be the type to bring that up again. Bonnie was definitely going to ask for details the next time she saw her, but Ash? He thought he would be disinterested in her love life.

"It was only for two months!" she blurted. "And it doesn't count."

"What?"

Serena turned back to look at him while leaning forwards to grip onto the edge of the bench. "It was… only for two months…"

"How come? And why doesn't it count?"

Serena sighed. "Everyone was telling me that I looked good with him, and that we made a perfect match. All I did was help him cope with Mairin and start battling again. They told me that I should date him, and I did…" she said as a confused look formed upon Ash's face. She didn't want to tell him that it was mostly because of him. "I decided to give it a try."

"You didn't like it?"

"Oh, no I loved it," Serena admitted. "After Mairin died, Alain opened up to me, but when we started dating he opened up to me even more. It made me happy because he was still willing to express his feelings to someone. Most people who are stuck in a rut push everyone away... but he didn't. He kept me close. I know almost everything about him, and he practically knows everything about me. He treated me the best, and always put me before anyone else." Serena looked down to the space between her shoes. "He was my first kiss. My first friend who knows all my secrets. He was almost my first everything…"

"Then why did you break up?"

"Because… I just couldn't like him in that way. It doesn't count to me because I just didn't feel the same way. He was the perfect boyfriend, but no matter what he did, I wasn't falling in love with him." Serena looked back up before jerking her head to look at Ash. "I don't regret any of it though. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have gotten over… gotten over my fear of pursuing my dreams…"

Ash just stared at her with a straight face. Serena was unable to read his emotions or take a guess at what he was thinking about. This kind of Ash was still new to her. With most people, she could make a pretty accurate guess about what they would think, but Ash was different. Maybe it was because the Ash she knew was never interested in love.

"Can I ask you a question?" he said after some time.

"Sure. What is it?" Serena smiled.

"If I never left, do you think that it would have been you and me… instead of you and Alain?"

Serena's lips slightly parted and she stared at him in disbelief. Her mind began to race in several directions, trying to process some kind of answer to his question. But she couldn't answer it. She didn't know what he meant.

She continued to stare at Ash, dumbfounded, and as she tried to figure out what was going on in his head, Ash leaned closer to her. His eyes were glued to hers, and Serena could feel her cheeks burning. His face was now a mere few inches from her, and Serena watched his gaze shift downwards towards her lips.

Serena licked her lips, wondering what Ash was going to do. She let her grip off the edge of the bench and brought her hands to her lap, and began to twiddle her thumbs.

"I just-" Ash mumbled.

"Serena!" Shauna's voice could be heard from afar.

The raven haired Champion sighed before leaning back until he was pressed up against the bench. Serena gulped, feeling like she forgot to breathe throughout the whole thing. She stood up from the bench, and turned around to see Shauna running her way with Alain sauntering along behind her.

"Shauna!" she called out.

"I'm pretty tired," said Shauna after reaching the two. "You know, I know you planned to spend the whole day out, but I think I'm ready to go back to the school. Plus…" The brunette leaned in close to whisper in Serena's ears. "I think I'd like to tell you about my time with Alain."

Serena smiled. She couldn't wait to hear the details. "That's fine with me. I'm actually pretty tired too, and I know that Alain is." Serena looked up at the Kalosian Champion who looked like he was emotionally drained. Serena could tell that it was because he was talking to so many people. On the bright side, at least none of those arcade maniacs were trainers. If they were, he would be receiving a handful about his duties as Champion. She should have made him wear a disguise before leaving the school, but at least, no one seemed to have bothered him.

"You're tired too?" Shauna questioned. "What were you two doing?"  
"We went to visit the siblings."

"Without me!?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it when we're back at the academy."

* * *

Serena listened to Shauna go on and on about her day with Alain. She was happy to hear that Alain was actually talking to her, and even protecting her from the weirdoes who wanted to take her out on a date. She told Serena that none of them recognized her as Kalos Queen or Alain as the Kalos Champion, but it was because they were gamers and spent most of their time inside, playing games. What made Shauna even happier was the fact that people thought that the two of them were dating, and even called them a cute couple.

"Anyways," said Shauna. "How was your day with Ash and the siblings?"

"It was pretty good," Serena replied as she tucked herself into her bed. "You were right about Bonnie being an amazon. She is taller than me now."

"I called it!" Shauna giggled as Serena heard her move her own blankets aside to tuck herself in.

Serena reached out to the lamp located on the nightstand between their beds. She turned it off before making herself comfortable once more.

"So, do you think you could ever like Ash again?" Shauna asked.

"You know, I think I'm over him for good," said Serena, but she knew it was a lie.

As Shauna fell into a deep slumber, all that Serena could think about was what Ash had said to her. What did it mean? Was he jealous about her friendship with Alain? Or did it mean that he wanted to be Serena's first… almost everything. Because almost everything included being her first kiss, and well, she couldn't bring herself to believe that Ash would even want to kiss her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Degraded**

"You guys will be receiving your final assignment worth 30% of your grade," said Professor Sycamore. "You will have to examine Pokémon from a different habitat. With the long weekend coming up, I suggest that you plan to travel somewhere not too far off."

"Why don't we go to Snowbelle City?" Serena suggested. "It's a snowy habitat there, and there's a Showcase happening on the long weekend."

"That's perfect!" Everyone agreed.

* * *

 **NOTE:** So what do you guys think? :) I have a sequel planned so I've strongly hinted at Bonnie being in the next one. haha What do you think about Ash's question? DUNDUNDUN

leave a follow, like, PM, or review!


	15. Degraded

**NOTE:** Hey guys! So here's the next chapter :)

 **Now, I just want to point something out. I feel like some of you are still confused and think that this story is directly associated with what's been happening in the anime. I just want to point out again that this is an AU and LOOSELY FOLLOWS THE EVENTS OF THE ANIME. The only thing I will take from the anime is the fact that Serena travelled with Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont, and well, Alain defeated Ash in the League. That is basically it. The memories they had with one another in the past is not the same as the anime. Some things are, but most of it isn't.**

 **Also, whatever happened in Alola (what's happening in the anime right now) doesn't correspond with what happened to Ash when he was in Alola. In this story, when he was in Alola he matured and developed an understanding about love. Now, idk about you, but that wouldn't happen in the anime. haha. And as for his team (that I made in the story), well I just googled Alolan Pokemon and chose the first six that I saw. LMAO. So...**

 **There was actually a lot of good questions asked about the last chapter so... lets get to it!**

 _ **UptownFunk & gabed1298:**_ _Both of you asked about things pertaining to Ash's adventure in Alola, asking if he dated Mallow or Lillie, and if there will be more description about Ash's adventures in Alola._

 **I will not answer if he dated someone because that would be a spoiler. haha, and as for Ash's adventure, there won't be much about it. As for now, Ash's character is sort of a mystery, and what he did/learned there remains a mystery. I have planned that there will be a few explanations for certain things when he was there, however there won't an in depth description of his journey. But at one point, you will be introduced to a few of his companions from Alola. :)**

 _ **StreetRacer-Sam:**_ ... _by any chance there will be moments between Ash and Alain too? About their complicated terms due to Serena? Also, if Shauna manages to get Alain for her will it help Ash ease up in the situation, i.e., Alain not getting jealous of Ash or mad at the fact that Ash and Serena are spending more time together than him and her?_

 **I cannot say much or else I will spoil things, but these are all very good questions to ask. There will be an interaction between Ash and Alain, and that is all I can say.**

 **There were a few other questions about when the next kiss would be or if Ash/jealous would get more jealous, but all I can say is stay tune and read!**

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who left a review since last - 2 Guest, aliensinnoh, gurkaran23, FantasyLover88, Roger0326, Sol, skyblu23, DeretAmourShipping, Q-A Authoress, Daisy Pragnya, DJKitKat12.**_

 _ **Long Author's note, but onto the chapter!**_

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen: Degraded**

"Serena."

The dazed teen kept her eyes focused on the eraser attached to the tip of her pencil. Her eyes bounced at the sight of the synthetic rubber rebounding from her desk, causing the sharp lead to hit the wooden surface. She continued to wiggle her fingers ever so slightly, continuing on with the pointless task, somewhat amused by the momentum looking like a seesaw.

She tilted her head, sneaking a glance at the boy who caused her a few days of sleepless nights. He was busily looking down at the assignment they were asked to complete the week before. This was the first time she absolutely dreaded sitting next to him. Before _that_ question, she fell into a regular routine, greeting him with a good morning before ensuing with conversations about their other classes and teachers.

"Earth to Serena."

It was different today though. His question was still fresh in her mind, sending her emotions skyrocketing all over the place.

 _"_ _If I never left, do you think it would have been you and me… instead of you and Alain?"_

Her mind pondered over that question a million times since it was asked. What could it mean? What was he implying? Serena thought that maybe Ash was jealous over her friendship with Alain, but her inner gut was feeling something else. He was no longer dense. He seemed to have gotten a pretty good understanding of love. Could he, perhaps…

"Serena!"

The honey blonde felt herself shake violently, causing her pencil to drop from between her fingers. She looked to the source, a hand that was gripping onto her shoulder. From there, she looked up to see May with an irritated look on her face.

"Took you long enough," said May. "Were you overtraining again?"

"Wh-What?" Serena answered, weakly. She closed her eyes, causing a few tears to shed. She was so focused on looking at her pencil tapping against her desk; she forgot to take a moment to blink every now and then.

"You were, weren't you?" May grabbed onto the stool by the window and took a seat beside the honey blonde. She then leaned in close, inspecting Serena's face. "You're paler than usual and you have eye bags. That's definitely a sign that you've been overtraining."

Serena sighed as she wiped the few tears that flowing down her face. There was always a time during the school year where she looked like a mourning ghost with unfinished business. Usually it happened when she was over working herself and her Pokémon. This time it was entirely different though.

Serena jumped, hearing a chair squeak as it scraped against the floor. She looked to her right noticing Ash with a worried look on his face. Upon meeting eye contact, his mouth slightly parted as if he had something to say. He didn't say anything though. Instead, he looked back down, going over the questions for what looked to be the seventh time.

"So," May leaned forward in her seat, bringing her mouth close to Serena's ear. "Was Shauna able to reconcile with Alain?"

"You better not tell her anything!" Dawn sounded behind them.

Typically, Dawn would be the one to ask about all the juicy information first. Sadly, the bluenette was scrambling to finish the last few questions on the assignment before the sound of the bell.

"Yo! Heads up!"

Serena turned her attention away from May, hearing a faint, winding sound. She looked up, seeing Gary holding onto a fancy, high tech camera. Serena stared at him dumbfounded, but then was immediately blinded by a bright flash and a loud, piercing beep.

"What are you doing?!" May questioned, annoyed.

Serena blinked several times, an imprint of every object in the room appearing in her head every time she closed her eyes. She looked straight ahead at Gary, a few black blotches floating around her as her eyes tried to readjust to the current lighting of the room.

"Gary!" Dawn snapped. "We were supposed to meet yesterday to finish our assignment!"

"Yeah… uhh… about that." Gary lifted the camera that was hanging around his neck. "I was thinking about how I was going to stand out amongst everyone else in the student council, and on my way to meet you, I came up with the idea to become the camera man!" He nodded his head, looking rather proud about his conclusion.

"But we didn't finish the assignment!" Dawn raised her voice, throwing a paper ball in his direction.

"Relax, Blue," Gary teased. Blue has become Dawn's nickname from Gary over the course of the semester. He found it rather amusing because whenever he called out 'Hey Blue!' everyone thought he was referring to Blue, an infamous trainer from Kanto. Dawn in return would receive angry glares from those who thought that she was really Blue. Serena had no idea as to how the nickname started, and when she asked Dawn about it, Dawn refused to tell her about how it happened. If she had to guess though, it obviously had something to do with her hair.

Gary let go of his camera, letting it swing back and forth on the strap hanging around his neck. He walked over to Dawn, grabbing a few stapled sheets from his handbag. "Here," he said. "We're partners. While you copy my work, I'll take pictures of Serena… and May and Ash." He grinned widely before handing Dawn his assignment.

Dawn scowled, ready to give Gary a handful. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and frantically began to copy Gary's finished work.

"My mind is still dizzy from the first picture," May whined. "Why don't you take group pictures after school or something?"

"Then it won't be candid," Gary stated. "Those are the best kind of pictures. I also bet that a lot of these candid photos will make it into the yearbook." He lifted his camera once more, ready to take another picture.

Serena raised her hand, bringing it up to cover her eyes. She was still seeing blotches of black everywhere, and she didn't want a new set coming in.

"Gary," Professor Sycamore sounded with a stern voice after the second bell has rung. Serena pulled her hand away from her face to see Professor Sycamore entering the classroom with his briefcase and mug of coffee. She looked back to Dawn whose writing pace began to increase. "Put that camera away and return to your seat."

The professor placed his mug and briefcase on his desk before returning to the podium while Gary maneuvered his way around to take his assigned seat next to Dawn. May then stood up from the stool, pushed it back towards the window, and took her seat next to Arnold.

Serena sat up, anticipating the beginning of todays lecture. As usual, Professor Sycamore was mentally making a note of who was missing from today's class. As he did, Serena slightly turned her head to the right, looking over at Ash who was doing what everyone else was doing – staring straight ahead at the Professor.

Her mind began to ponder over his words again, and as she continued to stare at him, her heart skipped a beat for a mere moment. The feeling in her chest was something she hasn't felt in a long while, and it took her by surprise. Serena raised her hand to her chest, the pace of her heart quickening by the second. She shook her head before jerking her vision away from Ash as an attempt to get her body to return to its normal state.

"Okay," Professor Sycamore said, clasping his hands together. "Before I collect your assignments, I have important news for all of you. As you all know, the end of the semester is nearing, so that means that you will be receiving your final assignment worth thirty percent of your final grade."

A few groans were heard amongst the classroom.

Out of all her classes, Professor Sycamore's class was probably the one that had the most homework. It was a beginner's class so it wasn't hard, but it surely took valuable time from Serena's prep for the Showcases.

"Oh relax." Professor Sycamore hushed the room with a simple wave of his hand. "It's nothing hard. For the whole semester, we've been talking about Pokémon and what kind of habitats they live in. We've talked a bit about evolution and how a habitat can play a role in the assets of a Pokémon as well. There isn't a wide variety of habitats surrounding this school, so for your assignment, I would like you and your partner to set off to a different area to observe Pokémon in a different habitat and compare it to the Pokémon you see around our school. What is similar about how they live? What measures do they take in order to survive?" Professor Sycamore walked over to his briefcase, pulling out a stack of sheets. He began to walk around the classroom, further explaining the requirements of the assignment. "With the long weekend coming up, I suggest that you all take a short trip somewhere around Kalos to find an interesting habitat to talk about. You can go to the beach and observe water Pokémon while tanning in the sun." He tried to make the assignment sound much more exciting by telling the students that it could be like a mini vacation. "I'll give you a few minutes to discuss your location with your partners," he said before looking straight ahead at Dawn. "And a few more minutes for you to finish your assignment."

With that, Serena could hear a gasp escape from Dawn's mouth, followed by a bunch of scribbles. Serena slightly giggled. She was amused by Professor Sycamore's ability to tell if a student was late or didn't finish their assignment. He wasn't that strict though, so it made him look pretty cool.

"So," said Ash. "Where would you like to go?"

Serena jumped, startled by Ash's voice. Her heart began to rapidly beat again, but she ignored it by opening up her binder to take a look at her calendar. If she remembered correctly, there was a Showcase happening in Snowbelle City during the long weekend. Snowbelle City was known for its snowy climate, so it was a perfect place to examine different Pokémon. While completing that, she would be able to earn her second princess key.

"How about Snowbelle City?" she asked, her finger pressed on the date that the showcase was taking place.

"That's perfect!" Dawn exclaimed.

Serena looked up, suddenly seeing May and Dawn peering over her shoulders. She looked from one side to the other to see a wide grin plastered on both of their faces. She could tell that the two were far more interested in having a fun long weekend together rather than actually completing the assignment itself.

"We can go snowboarding and skiing," said May. "I think I still have that discount coupon for that lodge…"

Dawn leaned down to whisper into the honey blonde's ear. "And… we can bring Alain and Shauna closer together. By the way, you still have to fill May and I on what happened over the weekend." Serena gulped. She did not want that weekend to be ever be mentioned. Because of it, Ash's question was the only thing she could remember.

"Why don't you ask Shauna during lunch?" Serena tried. "It's better coming from her."

"You're right!" Dawn gasped. "Hopefully she actually has time to sit with us… As Kalos Queen she always has some duty to fulfill and always does it during lunch."

"I'll bring my camera, and take lots of pictures of Dawn falling down the slopes!" Gary interrupted, causing Dawn to stomp over to him and pinch his arm.

"I guess that decides it then…" said Ash. "I guess the six of us are going to Snowbelle City." He sounded somewhat disappointed.

 _Does he want some alone time with me?_ Serena shook her head at the thought. She couldn't think about such things revolving around Ash. She didn't have the time to.

Plus, she spent years shaking him from her mind.

One question could not break her!

* * *

"Thank you so much," Serena said before bowing down to Palermo. She grabbed onto her blazer, and headed towards the door with a cup of orange juice in her hand.

After class she went straight to Palermo's office to inform her of her registration to the Snowbelle City Showcase. She surely hoped that this gave May and Dawn enough time to talk to Shauna about her day with Alain. She did not want to sit there and listen to them talk about it. It was only going to remind her about Ash's question.

"And Serena," Palermo called out, causing the honey blonde to turn around. "The weather is quite chilly in Snowbelle City. Bring an extra coat. You don't want to get sick before the showcase."

Serena smiled before giving her mentor a nod. Ever since the whole Amelia incident, Palermo's been leaning a bit towards her nice side. Serena thought that Palermo might have felt a bit guilty about what happened with Amelia. Especially now that she was no longer attending the academy.

Palermo was usually always so strict and rarely ever expressed her care towards her students. Her strict side towards Amelia might have been one of the many triggers that caused her to sabotage Serena's first Showcase. Palermo really wanted to change Amelia's ways, but was unable to do so because Amelia's father dragged her out of the academy. Serena preferred it this way, but she truly did wish Amelia the best.

"Don't worry," said Serena as she exited Palermo's office.

"SERENA!"

Serena jumped in surprise as Gary startled her with his loud, obnoxious voice. The brunette appeared out of nowhere, lunging at her with his camera in his grip causing Serena to toss the orange out of her hands.

"GARY!" she screamed aloud with her heart thumping through her chest. She yelped, feeling her cold cup of juice hit her chest, seeping through the fabric and finding its way to her skin. The sudden outburst caused Miss Anderson to look over the counter at the two.

"Serena, are you all right?" Miss Anderson asked, standing from her seat to grab a few napkins from the counter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Gary apologized. "I just wanted to get a good candid photo of you." He grabbed the napkins from Miss Anderson and told her to return back to her work. Gary then walked over to Serena and began blotting the orange stains that were overtaking her school blouse.

Serena scowled, grabbing the napkins from his grip. He was getting a little too close to her bust for her liking. "It's fine, Gary," she said, exiting the room before Palermo was able to witness the ruckus happening outside her office. She pressed the napkins against the large stain on her chest and began scurrying out of the performers building.

"I really didn't mean to scare you," Gary tried again, following close behind her. "I'll make it up to you. I'll by you a new blouse!" he said in between breaths as they reached the female dormitories.

He sounded genuinely sorry, and Serena knew that his intentions weren't all that bad. He was just trying his best as co-president of the student council. She absolutely admired that, but his little crush on her was always preventing him from differentiating the good ideas from the bad ones.

"Look, its fine. It was an accident," said Serena as she marched up a plight of stairs to her room. "I'll see you later, and we can discuss you buying me a new blouse then!" She unlocked the door, entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"I'm really sorry!" Gary called out once more.

Serena sighed, hearing his footsteps trudge off in the distance. She threw her blazer on her bed before walking over to Shauna's vanity to inspect the damage that's been done to her school blouse. The entirety of her chest was covered in the orange fluid with a few drips overtaking the rest of her shirt. There were also a few pieces of pulp clinging to the fabric, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Serena just knew that she was going to have to clean the shirt right away or else the juice would remain a stain on her shirt.

The honey blonde walked over to her drawer, pulling out a new school blouse. She began to unbutton her soiled one, and once she took it off, she noticed that her bra was pretty damp too. The juice was starting to dry now, and she could feel the wired part of her bra sticking to the skin of her under boob. Serena sighed again before glancing over at the clock on the nightstand located between her and Shauna's bed. She had fifteen minutes until the end of lunch. That surely gave her enough time to clean up and head off to her afternoon classes.

Serena tied her hair up into a messy bun before reaching over to unclasp her bra. Once she took off her bra, she reached for the towel on the hook by the door.

"Serena. This is actually funny, I think I'm going to have to take picture of the stain on your-"

The door opened in front of her, and the familiar whirr of the camera sounded through her ears. A bright flash then blinded her, and her eyes widened as the brunette's eyes came into contact with hers, his jaw dropping in the process.

Serena quickly grabbed ahold of the towel by the hook, and wrapped her upper body around it.

"I-I.. wow…"

"GET OUT!" she screamed from the top of her lungs. "GET OUT!" She began to smack the boy on his head. She was so shocked; she didn't know how to handle the situation. As she continued with smacking his head, her towel loosened up around her body, and fell to the ground below her.

"I-I-… right!" He muttered with a bright red face, clearly staring at her now exposed skin.

Serena looked down before snatching the towel and rewrapping it around her body. "GET OUT!" she screamed once more, causing the brunette to leave the room.

She screamed from the top of her lungs, trying to process the events that just happened. This couldn't be happening to her. Gary just saw her half naked and got a picture of it too.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: An Unwanted Arrangement**

Gary placed his camera on the table with the lens facing him.

The honey blonde stared at the black screen before a picture of her topless appeared on the screen. Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red as she lunged forward to grab the device from his hands.

"Not so fast," he said with a smirk on his face while tucking his camera into his book bag. "I'll delete the picture and even give you the SD card if you do me one little favor."

"What?" she scowled with crossed arms.

"You have to be my girlfriend until the end of the semester. I think that gives me enough time to get you to fall in love with me." He smirked, before meeting the honey blonde's eyes.

* * *

 **NOTE:** I am again pointing out that this story **L** **OOSELY FOLLOWS THE ANIME. VERY LOOSELY FOLLOWS.** Just trying to get my point across...

:D Anywho, I know the main love problems lie between Ash, Serena, and Alain, but well, if you've been reading, Gary has a crush on her too, so he needs his moments every now and then... despite them being a terrible thing for Serena. haha

This brings us to the end of the chapter though, so I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next one~

 **Reviews, PMs, likes, and follows are always appreciated!**


	16. An Unwanted Arrangement

**NOTE:** Hey guys! Next chapter! :)

Onto some questions...

 _ **DJKitKat12**_ : _...Will Alain or Gary ever get other love interests?_

 **Yes they will. I will not say who, although I feel it is somewhat obvious. Gary's will happen pretty soon, while Alain's will be slow going.**

The rest of you seem to have your own thoughts about how the situation is going to be dealt with for Serena and Gary. I'd say a couple of you guys are right, but in a different way. haha.

 _ **Bluejack222:**_ _is the kiss still cannon?_

Unfortunately, the kiss is not cannon, so Alain is her first kiss. I didn't expect such a thing to happen in the anime, so its not in here. haha, but again, alot of things aren't.

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who reviewed since last - Daisy Pragnya, DeretAmourShipping, UptownFunk, Pokemonmeat, skyblu23, gabed1298, Sol, Q-A Authoress, FantasyLover88, gurkaran23, Guest, JayFan67, aliensinnoh, Rebelling Death**_ (I'm sorry you don't like the story anymore).

Anywho, enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: An Unwanted Arrangement**

Serena sat still with her spine perfectly aligned against the back of her wooden chair. She kept her hands on her lap, her eyes glued to the Lumiose Galette that was sitting on a dainty white dish. She frantically tapped her forefinger against the back of her other hand as her eyes followed the delicious treat that was being lifted from the piece of porcelain. Her eyes glazed over the flowery like patterns that painted the outer rim of the dish before glancing up to see the specialty pass through the lips of the boy who ruined her entire week. Her heart would not rest as the brunette took another bite of the galette, savoring the taste before finally swallowing it.

She pursed her lips together as the boy continued with eating the rest of his treat. They were sitting in the school café for twenty minutes now without a single word being exchanged. She just watched Gary scroll through the café PokeTab, ordering a bunch of Kalos specialties, and eat them as each one was placed on the table. For the whole week, she hasn't said a word to him, and he hasn't said a word to her. Serena knew that he was up to something. She just didn't know what. And then, that morning, she woke up to a text from Gary, telling her to meet him at the Academy Café.

She rolled her eyes then glanced over to the right side of the table. Sitting just by the corner of the table was the camera that caused her several more sleepless nights. Ever since the incident, she freaked out and didn't know what to do. She thought about going to the girls or Alain or even Ash, but she knew that Gary wasn't as dumb as she thought. He wasn't that bright, but he surely was someone to be cautious of, especially in this kind of situation.

She didn't tell anyone about what happened and from the looks of it, Gary seemed to have done the same. She really wanted to ask someone for help, but she was worried that going to someone would cause her racy photo to end up in the school paper. She had to be careful with what move to make. Going to Ash seemed to be the safe bet since he was Gary's roommate and all. Ash could easily grab the camera from him, but Serena felt too embarrassed to go to Ash. Especially after what happened when they went to Lumiose City. She was just too shy to talk to him, and well, if Gary caught him trying to take away his camera, there was a chance that Gary would show him her photo. It was too risky. Going to the girls just meant having Dawn yell at Gary until he would give it back and going to Alain would end up in a billion lectures plus a fist fight in front of the entire school. Those two scenarios would draw a crowd and have people asking questions. That would surely result in her photo being leaked.

"What do you want?" Serena muttered, her gaze fixated on the camera. "We have to meet the others by the bus stop soon."

Gary placed the remainder of his galette back on the plate before wiping his fingers on the white napkin that was folded nicely on the other side of the table. He then took a swig of water before lifting the camera that was causing Serena's eyes to water. She slightly shook her head, blinking in the process before looking back down to the dainty piece of porcelain.

Her eyes then shifted upwards as Gary slid the plate to the side, making room for his camera. Serena gulped, the lens of the camera was facing him, and facing her was the screen. The screen was black for a brief second before showing a picture of her topless. In the picture, one of her arms was raised, reaching for the towel. If he came from a different angle, her arm would be covering her chest. If only that was the case.

Serena's face flushed a bright shade of red. The longer she stared at the photo, the more she felt ashamed. She couldn't believe that she let someone take a picture of her like that. She furrowed her eyebrows and took a deep breath before lunging forward to grab the device that was loosely placed between his grasp.

"Not so fast," he said with a smirk on his face while pulling the camera back. He then grabbed his book bag from the ground and tucked his camera into it. "I'll delete the picture and even give you the SD card if you do me one little favor."

Serena sat back in her seat with a scowl on her face. "What?" she asked with crossed arms.

"You have to be my girlfriend until the end of the semester. I think that gives me enough time to get you to fall in love with me." He smirked once more before meeting the honey blonde's eyes.

"Wh-What?" Serena managed to utter. "No way!"

"Then I'll show this photo to Alain. He's like obsessed with you right? At least that's what Ash says…"

"I'll go to the headmaster!" Serena tried, ignoring his comment on Alain.

"Are you sure you want to bring the headmaster into this situation?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He pursed his lips before resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands. "If he hears about this little problem of ours then he will have some issues with his idea of unity between the two genders."

Serena puffed her cheeks out in anger. Everything was running so smoothly. She couldn't ruin the transition just because she forgot to lock a door. It wasn't her fault though. It was an all girls' school for years! It was just something she wasn't really used to.

"Fine." She gritted through her teeth before reaching beneath the table to grab her bag.

"And Serena?" said Gary. "You better make it believable or the photo will end up somewhere you don't want it too."

* * *

The honey blonde sighed, her fingers laced around the brunette's as he lead her outside the school gates. She puffed out her cheeks, feeling her orange juice burn her throat as it regurgitated up her esophagus. She unwillingly swallowed the acidic liquid, surprised that being pulled into being Gary's girlfriend would actually cause her to vomit.

"Let's see how your first performance goes," he whispered into her ear before looking straight ahead with a wide smile spread across his face.

Serena groaned quietly, quickening her pace as Gary pulled her forward to match his speed. She could tell that he was clearly enjoying this and wanted everyone to know about there newly formed "relationship".

She looked straight ahead to see that everyone was gathered around the bus stop. The bench by the stop was stacked with bags and everyone was conversing with one another. May was talking to her partner, Arnold. Miette was talking to Shauna with Alain standing there in complete boredom. And by them was Dawn who was petting Pikachu while talking to Ash.

Serena's eyes lingered over the Alolan Champion. She raised her free hand, pulling it close to her face while slightly parting her lips. She pressed the nail of her thumb up against her teeth, and began chewing on it with anxiety.

Because of Gary, her problem with Ash was put on hold. Whenever she saw him in class, Gary always came into her view and her thoughts of him subsided. But now that they were going to Snowbelle City, Serena knew that she had to complete the assignment with him. Which meant that they would have some alone time together.

 _Thump._

The beat of her heart quickened at the thought of being alone with Ash. She kept her gaze on him longer than she ever has during the entire week and the longer she stared, the more she felt herself returning into a familiar state.

Ash then turned his head in her direction, smiling at her the second he met her eyes.

 _Thump. Thump._

Serena took her nail from out of her mouth and brought her hand to her chest. This feeling… she hasn't felt it in a long while. Not just for him, but for anyone. Serena gulped, her eyes still glued to his like his was glued to hers.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

She profusely shook her head before looking away. She couldn't possibly like him again. Not in that way. It just couldn't be…

She looked back up to the raven haired Champion who averted his attention back to Dawn.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

Could it be possible?

"Everyone!" Gary called out in a piercing loud tone. "I have an announcement to make!"

Serena stumbled backwards, startled by Gary's insanely loud voice. She then looked over to everyone in front of her. They all had confused expressions on their faces. Serena, herself, was confused for a second until she realized that Gary was still holding onto her hand.

"As of this morning, Serena and I are officially a couple," he said with proudness. "As of now, she is my girlfriend!"

Serena slightly puffed out her cheeks, feeling another wave of orange juice traveling up her throat. Swallowing hard, Serena bit her bottom lip before briefly examining everyone's faces one by one. They were ten times more confused than they were a second ago.

"What?" Dawn said, her eyes blinking. "What did you bribe her with?"

"This isn't a bribe. This is the real deal, blue."

"Stop calling me that," Dawn retorted before stomping over to the pair. She leaned in close, examining Serena's face. "Serena," she said. "Just tell me what he did. There is no way that you guys are dating. Was it some kind of dare?"

Serena stared at Dawn who was closely examining her. She then glanced over to Gary who was squeezing her hand while doing the same thing. She had to deal with her blackmail somehow, but it couldn't be like this.

"We are dating," she finally said.

"No way," Dawn placed her hands on her hips, still not convinced.

"Yeah," May agreed. "You can't just be dating Gary. It doesn't make any sense. You would have told us if you liked him."

"It caught me by surprise," said Serena." On Monday, he followed me to my dorm during lunch and we talked for the first time… and I really liked it." It wasn't exactly what happened, but it worked.

"That's not like you Serena," said Dawn. "You don't like a guy after one good conversation."

"But…" Serena paused, trying to find the words to convince her friends. She looked over to Alain for a brief second, seeing the flames within in his eyes. That was something she had to also deal with later. "We've been hanging out after class, that's why I haven't been at the dorms at the usual time." Serena looked over to Shauna for backup.

"I thought you were looking for books at the library to help with your last few assignments." Shauna placed a finger on her chin. "I didn't think you were secretly hanging out with Gary." She then turned her body to face Ash. "Hey Ash, has Gary been out from five to seven the last week?"

"Uhh…" Ash began to rub his nape. "He's always out late. I never really know what he's doing…"

"Because Serena and I have been spending time together!" Gary said as their bus pulled into its rightful parking space. "Why can't you guys accept that I won Serena fair and square? If you can't accept our new relationship then you guys aren't really her friends now, are you?"

"We are too her friends!" Dawn spat out. "We know her better than you. She wouldn't just like a guy out of nowhere!"

Serena looked down as Gary and Dawn began to bicker.

 _She wouldn't just like a guy out of nowhere…_ Serena glanced up at Ash who was by the bench, gathering his belongings. He didn't seem interested in Gary being her boyfriend. It kind of made her disappointed. She sort of wished that he were as angry as Alain was. When Alain was angry he had something to say, but when he was furious, he kept it all bottled up until the right moment. And Serena knew that the right moment was right after he talked to her to get the truth.

She wished Ash was the same, but she guessed he wasn't. Or he just really didn't care…

"C'mon, Serena," said Gary. "We don't need to deal with all this criticism." Serena returned her attention back to the brunette. She didn't realize that all the girls were now by her side, arguing with him. She was too focused on Ash to even notice. She felt Gary tug on her hand, forcefully leading her to the bus.

"Let's sit away from everyone!" He said out loud, mostly just to irritate everyone else.

* * *

Serena grabbed her belongings and was the first to enter the Snowbelle City Lodge. She looked down to the pamphlet that May gave her days before prior to their planning. The pamphlet made the place look so extravagant, and as Serena's eyes glossed over the interior, the place looked exactly like it did in the pamphlet. The place looked very woodsy and rustic, yet still modern at the same time. She couldn't wait to see the rooms they were going to sleep in.

Serena looked back down to the pamphlet, turning it over to take a glance at the pictures of the room. She continued her walk to the check in counter, but fell to the ground as she bumped into someone passing her way.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry I-"

Serena scratched her head as she looked ahead at the black boots in front of her. Her gaze slowly traveled upwards, her eyes coming into contact with each article of clothing. Blue jeans. Blue sweater. Black book bag. Everything on this individual was rather familiar.

Her gaze continued upwards, her eyes widening as she saw his porcelain skin. His gray eyes. And his dark tresses. It was Calem. Her older brother.

"Oh. Hey squirt!" He held his hand out to her, helping her up. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school?" He waved a finger at her, giving her a look of disapproval.

"It's the long weekend and I'm here to complete an assignment for class." She scowled. "And stop calling me squirt."

Calem chuckled. "I'll stop calling you squirt when you stop being one." He raised a hand and patted her head. "Either you weren't paying attention or I simply couldn't see you because of your lack of height." He leaned down, matching her height. "I think it's the mix of the two."

Serena scowled once more before poking his forehead.

"Oww," Calem stood up straight, rubbing the spot she just poked. "I guess I'll just stay up here then. After all, you can't reach me from here." He stuck out a tongue before scanning the area. "So are you here alone or are you with a couple class-" He stopped as soon as the crowd of bickering students entered the lobby. "I'm gonna assume its them because I see Alain." He then lowered his voice. "Your first boyfriend." He chuckled.

"Alain," he called out before giving him a nod. Serena watched as her older brother sauntered over to the Kalos Champion, bumping his fist. "It's been awhile."

"Uhh.. yeah," Alain responded.

"Have you been taking care of my sister?" he asked.

Serena rolled her eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed by her brothers presence. He was a professional Rhyhorn racer, and last time she checked, he was supposed to be in Cyllage City, teaching kids how to ride a Rhyhorn.

"Oh my…" Miette somehow made her way to Serena's side. "Serena… It's your hot brother."

"Please stop," Serena deadpanned as Calem began to introduce himself to the rest of the bunch. Dawn and May already knew him. The both of them were already drooling over his presence.

"Your Serena's older brother?" Gary asked, shoving Dawn and May to the side. "I'm Gary Oak, and I'm Serena's boyfriend."

"B-Boyfriend?" Calem questioned before turning back to look at the honey blonde. "Squirt!" He called out. "You never told me you had a boyfriend." He chuckled before returning his attention back to Gary. "Oak, huh? That sounds familiar… Don't tell me you were the kid who bullied Serena during that summer camp in Kanto."

"I was a dumb kid back then," Gary said, causing Calem to burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Squirt!" He called out once more. "You're dating that guy who bullied you when you were a kid?"

Serena shuffled over to the left, trying to hide behind Miette who was still drooling over Calem. Her brother was seriously embarrassing her right now. Everyone in the lobby had their eyes glued to her and her group of friends.

"Man, that's pretty funny… Although, I thought by now that you would have ended up with… what was his name?" Calem stopped for a second to think. "Ash. Ash Ketchum! You had the biggest crush on that kid for years. What happened to him? If he was here, I bet you two would be dating instead."

Serena's eyes widened as she listened to her brother go on and on about her infatuation towards Ash when she was a kid. Her face turned a bright shade of red as she looked over to Ash who was already staring at her. This could not be happening to her. This could not be happening. She looked away before grabbing onto her bag that was still lying on the floor from when she fell down.

"Your brother is the best," Miette whispered before taking a step forward. "Ash is right there." She pointed to the boy who stood at the back of the crowd next to Arnold.

"Oh.. Oh…" Calem immediately stopped himself from telling any more stories. "Didn't see you there…" he said, awkwardly.

Serena face palmed as May and Dawn ran to her side, ready to take her away from the situation. They were intercepted by Alain though as he grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away from the lobby and into one of the many halls.

"Serena," said Alain after coming to a halt. He let go of her wrist and eyed her with worry. "What's going on? You're not actually dating Gary are you? What does he have on you?"

Serena took a deep breath, meeting Alain's eyes. "Why can't I just like a guy?"

"Because I know you. You don't just like a guy. You have these guidelines. These expectations. Gary doesn't meet any of your requirements. Just admit that he has something on you. I'll pummel him until he gets rid of it."

Serena sighed. This is why she didn't go to Alain. Because he would do that. And she didn't want that. Especially once he found out that Gary got a naked picture of her. Alain would probably kill him at that point. She wanted Alain to help, but he wasn't fit for the job. She couldn't even vent to Alain about it because of how he would handle the situation.

"Answer me, Serena," Alain said with impatience.

"Look, I-"

"Serena!" The honey blonde looked down the hall to see Gary coming her way. "There you are," he said. "Help me unpack, will you?"

"C-Coming," she answered, meeting Alain's eyes for the last time.

This was probably the first time where she didn't let Alain in on a secret. Then again, she seemed to have been doing that a lot lately.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Snowbelle Showcase**

Serena took a deep breath as she stood outside the stadium. She couldn't do it. She couldn't go back in there. She was failing anyways. Her friends were arguing and she was coming in last place in each round. There was no way she could get through the rest of the showcase.

"Serena." A voice called out to her.

The honey blonde turned around to see Ash running her way. He wasn't there for half of the showcase.

"I'm sorry for being late," he said. "I had something important to do."

* * *

 **NOTE:** And that brings us to the end of the chapter.

I hope ya'll enjoy it. Also, with christmas around the corner, things are sorta busy atm, so I wont be able to update as fast as I like (but I still try to keep it to once a week). Just a heads up!

 **Leave a like, follow, PM, or review! :)**


	17. Snowbelle Showcase

**NOTE:** **Okay so, my last preview isn't really on par with what's happening here. I changed a few things last minute. But, my previews don't really follow much. They are just a glimpse into a certain detail in the next chapter, so it isn't a huge deal.**

Onto some questions. :)

 _ **Sol:**_ _one question: It's still canon that Miette met Ash and Serena when they were traveling together like a group?_

You also said that the chapters were short. I know along the lines I said they were going to be longer. I have to work on describing better and such. haha My chapters are usually 3000 words long. **But onto your actual question, yes it's canon that they met Miette along the way when they traveled as a group.**

 _ **ThreshHook91:**_ _Yo why is Sycamore portrayed as such a dick?_

 **I didn't realize he was a dick. haha I just wanted him to be a good teacher whose strict and strongly follows the rules. I guess that makes him a dick. I wanted him to also be a good friend tot he students, but I suppose we have yet to see that. So right now, yeah he's a dick? :P**

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who left a review since last! - 3 Guest, skyblu23, StreetRacer-Sam, Pokemonmeat, UptownFunk, Q-A Authoress, FantasyLover88, gurkaran23, JayFan67, aliensinnoh, gabed1298, Daisy Pragnya, & PunishedEagle88. **_

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen: Snowbelle Showcase**

She closed her eyes, exhaling deeply. The noises around her slowly died down as she focused on the sounds of her breathing. She inhaled slowly through her nose, letting her stomach expand. After a few passing seconds, she exhaled once more and restarted the process all over again.

"No one believes that!"

Serena slightly flinched, but continued with her breathing exercise.

 _Just relax. Just relax._ She chanted those two words in her head.

She tried to mute all the noises around her, but her concentration was interrupted by the sound of a smack against the wall. With her hands gripped tightly onto the edge of the vanity, she dug her fingernails into the wood, scratching bits of the paint off and letting it jam beneath her fingernails.

"Don't lie!"

She heard the door to her dressing room slam shut. Serena slightly jumped, the hairs on her skin standing up straight. Her eyes fluttered open and through the mirror she could see Dawn and the rest of the girls standing by the door, whispering words to one another.

She knew what they were talking about. They were talking about her and Gary. That's all they seemed to care about. Yesterday, when they settled into their rooms, the rest of the girls were interrogating her. They were all trying to get the dirt out of her. When she looked to her phone to shut out their voices, she received a dozen of texts from Alain doing the same thing.

Today was the big day – the day of her second Showcase. Serena wanted to practice after settling into their rooms. She wanted to go through her routine once more, but her friends wouldn't allow it. They were suffocating her and weren't listening to her pleas.

Now, she was in the middle of the Snowbelle City Showcase, out before the start of the third round. She made it so far, yet not far enough. She'd like to admit that she was doing well, but she wasn't. Palermo was going to be upset with her when she came back to the academy. If she were in top condition, she would have passed those rounds with perfect scores, but it didn't happen. During her first Showcase, she had problems with the communications round, and now she couldn't even give it a go in this Showcase to see if she improved. Ever since they arrived at the auditorium, all of her friends were bickering with Gary. None of them stopped to offer her some words of encouragement or hug her and give her support. Everyone was filled with negative emotions.

Calem wasn't there, but he was a busy guy. Serena wished that her older brother would be there to support her more, but she understood that he had his own duties to attend to. He was one of the most important figures in the art of Rhyhorn Racing. She just hoped that he would show up at the end of the contest. After yesterday, he certainly owed her and as embarrassing as he was, she could really use some advice from him.

Alain was absent, but Serena was glad that he was. Headmaster Redwood asked him if he was going anywhere for the long weekend. Alain informed him of the trip to Snowbelle City, so the headmaster arranged a training session for him with the guidance of Wulfric. As of this moment, he should be sparring with the tough gym leader. The same gym leader Ash had issues with when they traveled together back in the day.

And speaking of the Alolan Champion, Serena was surprised to see that the guy didn't even bother to show up to her Showcase. Even Arnold was there, and he was just May's partner for the project. Ash seemed to be the only one that wasn't wavered by the current situation. It bothered her that he didn't show one ounce of care to her new relationship with Gary. And now, he wasn't even here to support her. It pained her heart, but at the same time she was glad. If he kept that up, her newfound feelings were sure to die before they actually started.

"Serena," said Dawn, stomping over to the vanity table with the rest of the girls behind her. "Just tell us what happened. We can fix it."

"Yeah," May agreed. "You're making this harder than it should be."

"I told you." Serena gulped. She just couldn't risk her photo being leaked. It sucked that the Showcase was happening at this very moment. She could have used this time to somehow snag the camera from him, but her goal to obtain another Princess Key came first. "I'm dating Gary," she said. "Why can't you guys accept that?"

Her friends stared at her hard. They were all trying to understand her feelings, but none of them could. She supposed that's what she got for having friends that knew her a little too well.

"I'm just not convinced," said Dawn. "I don't know why you can't just tell us. Whatever he did, it can't be that bad."

But it was. A leaked racy picture could easily taint her image and ruin all her chances at being the next Kalos Queen.

Serena looked away from her friends piercing gazes before darting her eyes over to the door that swung wide open.

"Shauna, Monsieur Pierre would like you to join him on the stage."

Shauna opened her mouth, ready to respond to the backstage worker.

"I know you said you came here to support your friend," the woman interrupted. "But a lot of people have already seen you. They would like to see their Kalos Queen perform on the stage."

"I guess I can't say no to the crowd…" Shauna mumbled before heading over to the worker. "See you guys later," Shauna said, looking back, meeting the honey blonde's blue eyes. Serena looked away as she did. She couldn't bear to look at the concern plastered all over Shauna's face. May, Dawn, and Miette were the ones doing all the talking. Since yesterday, Shauna just stood or sat there quietly with very little words escaping her mouth. It was probably because their friendship was just mended and she didn't want to say anything that would break it apart again. Serena could tell that she had a lot to say though. She just wasn't sure what.

As Shauna left, Gary reentered the room, and once again a war ensued. Dawn stomped over to him with clenched fists and the two butted heads, ensuing with another loud, irritating argument.

Serena sighed. She wanted to go home. This day was going terrible. Correction, this whole trip was a disaster. And it was all because of Gary. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to find that camera. She had to find that SD card and get her Delphox to burn it. But she didn't know where it was. From the looks of it, it seemed that Gary didn't bring his camera. But maybe he brought the card with him. There were just too many possibilities. Too many precautions. It was giving her one giant headache.

The honey blonde bit her bottom lip. Without anyone noticing she exited the room, and wandered down the hall, her eyes set on the doors that would lead her outside. As she quickened her pace, she felt a hand grab onto her, pulling her back with incredible force.

Serena let out a quiet squeal before widening her eyes. It was Alain.

"Alain?" she questioned, eying him up and down. He was supposed to be training with Wulfric. They could have ended early, but he didn't look like he was training at all. If he was, his clothes would be a little ruffled and his hair would be slightly disheveled. There was no way that he left that gym unscathed. Wulfric was tough, and it surely had to cause him a little distress. In fact, with Alain's problem, it should have caused a ton of distress.

"What are you doing here?" Serena asked. "Your training is already over?"

"I came here to support you," he said. "You know that I want to be with you every step of the way until you receive the title." He grabbed onto one of Serena's hands, and held her fingers loosely between his own.

"So your training isn't over?"

Alain shrugged his shoulders. "It didn't begin. He was in the middle of a gym battle. It was taking awhile, so I left to come here. You're more important anyways."

Serena grimaced; disappointed by the actions he took. She really wanted him to take his second chance seriously. But he wasn't. He was always skipping his training sessions. Professor Sycamore was the one keeping track of his progress, making sure that he was actually doing what he needed to do. The headmaster was always setting up his training sessions. He was the one who was keeping the reporters at bay, and relaying everything to those who were in charge of the league. So many people were helping him, yet he was taking it all for granted.

"Alain, you should go bac-"

"Now," he interrupted. "Tell me about Gary. Tell me what's happening. "I promise you I can help. We can confront him. Everything will go back to normal." He squeezed her hand and began dragging her down the hall.

"But I-" she tried, but was pulled back into the room with the constant arguing. How could no one pay attention to what was happening in her dressing room? They were causing a ruckus. At this point, someone must have complained by now.

"Gary!" Alain raised his voice, causing the bickering to be put on hold. "What did you do to Serena?"

"I didn't do anything." Gary smirked. "You're just jealous because she likes me and not you."

"Watch it," Alain lowered his voice before walking over to Gary, grabbing him by his collar.

"Alain," said Serena, grabbing onto his hand, pulling him away from the brunette. "Don't do this." She stood in front of the brunette. Not to protect him though, but to simply prevent things from getting too ugly.

"Serena I'm done with all this! I'm your best friend! You need to tell me what he did!" Alain shouted, pointing at the brunette, his eyes burning with fury.

"Yeah!" Miette agreed. "What's holding you back?!"

"I-I…" Serena's eyes darted from one face to the other. She took a step behind Gary, slowly inching back towards the wall. They were all shouting at her, questioning her motives. Questioning her relationship. Whenever her vision came across Gary, all he was doing was nodding his head from side to side. In a way, it was some sort of threat, pressuring her to deal with all of this, or face the humiliation.

Serena shut her eyes before looking up at the clock that was suspended high on the wall. She had twenty minutes until the start of the next round. Even if she couldn't take part in it, she wanted to watch the contestants and learn from them. Nothing was going according to plan and all her friends weren't even realizing it.

They kept barking at her, their voices mingling into one giant mess. She could pick up a few words, but there were too many voices trying to speak to her at once to even comprehend one sentence. Serena found herself hyperventilating as they pushed her to a corner of the wall. Her eyes continued to dart from one angry face to the other. Today was her day, and they weren't even supporting her. They all had good intentions, but they were all aware of her determination to win the Princess Keys. But her dreams weren't in any of their minds, only their selfish reasons of getting her away from Gary.

Serena shook her head, trying to recompose herself. She shut her eyes tightly before fluttering them right open. "SHUT UP!" she yelled out from the top of her lungs. "SHUT UP!" She didn't intend to say her message so rudely, but it was the only way for them to be quiet.

With furrowed brows, she looked at her schoolmates. Not a single word was coming out of their mouths, and now they were all staring at her with shock on their faces.

"I came here to get a Princess Key. I came here to take another step closer to my goal, and all of you ruined it. In case you haven't noticed, I've been eliminated! None of you showed me your support, and none of you even noticed my mistakes on stage. It was all because of you!" Serena felt herself choking on the words as they left her mouth.

"Serena… we…" Dawn said in a soft tone.

"No!" Serena cried out before pushing everyone away from her. She then ran out of the room, shutting the door behind her, making sure that none of them would follow her.

She felt a few tears wanting to escape her eyes, but she wouldn't let the saltiness pass her non-waterproof mascara. She couldn't let the other contestants witness her weak side. It was unprofessional. Instead, she blinked several times, forcing the tears behind her eyeballs as she exited the stadium, walking into the empty lot behind the building.

Serena tucked a tress behind her ear as a gentle breeze brushed against her nape. She was wearing a silky dress, and the thin material wasn't enough to keep her warm from the winter air. It didn't help much that her dress was short and had thin straps either. Serena shivered, bringing her arms together, using her palms to rub her upper arms. It wasn't much help, but she didn't want to be in the building right now.

Serena walked forward, the sounds of her heels crunching against the thin layer of snow as she reached a boulder in the grass. She took a seat on a small flat part of the boulder, while continuously rubbing her upper arms. She then immediately stood up, the coldness of the boulder being too much for her rear to handle.

She exhaled, watching her breath drift off into the air, feeling the tip of her nose and fingertips go numb.

"You're going to catch a cold out here," a voice said before placing a jacket around her shoulders.

Serena looked down to the pair of mitten-covered hands that was fastening a few buttons on the jacket to keep it from falling from her shoulders. She followed the hands as they pulled away from her. They belonged to Ash.

Serena gulped as she watched Ash tug on the yellow knitted scarf around his neck. He then reached out to her again, placing the scarf over her head, wrapping it around her head until it was up to her ears.

"And finally," he said, removing his toque. He shook his head as an attempt to fix up his messy tresses. He then reached out to her once more, snuggly fitting his toque onto her head.

Serena blushed, feeling her heart beating faster than usual. She stopped rubbing her upper arms and began tugging on the zippered part of the jacket, pulling it closer to her body to retain more heat. She bit her bottom lip as Ash smiled at her.

 _If I never left, do you think it would have been you and me… instead of you and Alain?_

That question was pondering her thoughts again. What did it mean? Because of Gary, she stopped thinking about it. But now, Ash was here, and they were alone outside and Serena felt incredibly nervous. Like she couldn't bear being alone with him. It was making her heart want to explode from out of her chest.

"I'm sorry for being late," he said. "I had something really important to do."

"Oh?" Serena looked up from the fresh veil of snow. "What did you have to do?"

Ash grinned before removing one of his mittens. He then reached into his pocket, and pulled out an SD card.

Serena's lips slightly parted and the pace of her heart quickened. She took a step forward, squinting her eyes to inspect the small card. "Is that? How did?" She wasn't sure what to ask.

"It was all Calem," he answered. "Right now he's with Pikachu, destroying Gary's camera. Well..." Ash rubbed his nape before letting out a small chuckle. "His Rhyhorn destroyed the camera with one stomp, but Pikachu wouldn't stop using Thunderbolt on the broken pieces. I guess Pikachu is really angry with Gary. Calem told me to bring this card to you."

Serena smiled, but she was still a little worried. What if Gary had another copy somewhere? Maybe he left a copy at the school.

"Don't worry. I promise you that he doesn't have anymore copies," he said, reading Serena's mind. "If he did, he wouldn't be sleeping with the camera in his arms, but if he does, this is for you." Ash reached into his pocket again, pulling out what looked to be a photo.

Serena grabbed onto the small, rectangular photo, her face turning redder than ever as her eyes came into contact with it. She's never seen a boy naked before, other than a few models of what she had to see in school. She's only ever seen the junk… not it attached to an actual human body. Serena blinked several times as Ash laughed. The photo was taken of Gary through a mirror. He was obviously admiring his body.

"Gary does that a lot…" Ash pointed out. "That pic was from this morning. Calem got a picture of it. Your brother really is… something."

Serena rolled her eyes, remembering the nickname her brother had back in the day. King Perv. He used to own all these little Pokémon gadgets that had a camera attached to them. Before he took Rhyhorn Racing seriously, making those tiny gadgets were his hobby. If she remembered, he used a remote to sneak his gadgets into his 'targets' (which were always girls) home to see them change or get into a shower. She wasn't sure if he actually enjoyed trying to see all those girls naked or if he enjoyed their reactions after they found out. Serena thought his perverted days were over, but to her, it was obvious he was still using his tiny gadgets for something. How else would he have been able to snap a picture of Gary naked? Just the thought of his naked stash of girls was sending shivers down Serena's spine.

"How did Calem know something was wrong though?" Serena asked, trying to rid herself of those memories. She was known as Little Perv for a while because of him. And she didn't even do anything. She only knew about his tiny cameras. Nothing else. How he treated girls when he was in high school was a complete mystery to her.

"Serena," he said, quietly. "I knew something was wrong the day it happened. Gary was suddenly smiling and looking at his camera all the time. He just got the camera so I thought it was nothing, but then he was hugging it in his sleep. I just didn't know what he was looking at until I saw you holding his hand at the bus stop." He looked down, kicking the snow on the ground. "I realized that he must have gotten an embarrassing picture of you… But I didn't have any proof that he did. He could have been looking at something else."

"But why does Calem know about it?"

"Because I asked him for help," Ash answered. "I remember he was always helping you out during the summer camp we went to. I figured he was a good brother, so I thought that he would be able to take Gary's camera and see what he was hiding." He paused for a short second. "And he did…" He glanced to the side, his cheeks turning crimson. "He somehow convinced Gary to leave his camera back in our room."

Serena smiled to herself, feeling grateful. She tightened her grip on the SD card before reaching into a small pocket in her dress. Her fingers grasped her pokeballs, looking for the right one. When she did, she threw her pokeball out in front of her, a bright light emanating the shape of her Pokémon before revealing her Delphox.

"You know what to do Delphox." Serena winked before throwing the SD card towards her first Pokémon.

Delphox nodded at its trainer before twirling its stick within its grasp. It then released a spiral of fire towards the SD card, burning it to smithereens. The intense amount of heat warmed Serena's freezing body and as the flames began to dissipate, Serena felt a huge burden being lifted from her shoulders. She might have had to apologize to her friends for her sudden outburst, but at least she no longer had to listen to them bicker.

"Thank you Ash," Serena said softly before stretching her arms and pulling the Alolan Champion into a hug. "You're a great _friend_." She pulled him in closer, savoring the warmth coming from his own body.

"No problem," he said, returning her embrace. "It's what _friends_ do right?"

She felt a little strange. She wanted nothing more than to be Ash's friend. She wanted him to be the friend that kept her positive energy going. Yet it felt weird saying the word friend. Like it was supposed to be something else. Something more.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

Serena pulled away from Ash's grasp and shyly thanked him once more before thanking her Delphox. She then returned her Pokémon back into its pokeball before turning around, unable to handle Ash's presence.

"I guess we should go in then, huh?" Ash said, behind her. "Don't want to miss you in the next round."

"I've actually been eliminated," Serena mumbled.

"What? Why? I didn't come fast enough to show you the good news?" He sounded disappointed.

"It's okay," Serena said quickly. She could no keep up with her thumping heart. The only way to get it to calm down was to be away from Ash. Or at least, in a room filled with other people. She turned her body, looking at him with a wide smile. "It's not a big deal. I still get to learn from watching the others perform, and it will help me with the next Showcase."

Ash smiled back. "Don't give up till it's over, right?"

Serena's eyes widened. She hasn't heard that saying in a long time. She lived by it for years, but ever since she tried ridding Ash from her life, she buried that saying along with the rest of the memories they had together.

"Right," she mumbled before looking back ahead of her.

Serena took a deep breath, trying to contain the feelings that were overwhelming her senses. It was cold, but she felt herself sweating. It was because of her thumping heart and the adrenaline coursing through her body. Her face was also burning and she felt her knees getting weak. She closed her eyes for a second, placing a hand on her chest while she walked towards the door.

She didn't want to admit it, but she knew what this feeling was. She liked him again, or maybe she never really stopped. She was so sure that her tiny infatuation would come to an end once the Showcase was over. After all, he wasn't there to support her. But then he showed up, and did something she didn't think he would do. Instead of trying to force the information out of her, he took action and tried to make it better. That's who Ash was. The boy that always tried to make everyone happy. And maybe that's what made Serena suddenly give into all these feelings.

Serena reached for the handle, but pulled her arm back as the door opened in front of her.

"Hey squirt," Calem greeted with a grin on his face. Pikachu was perched up on his shoulder, and the second the electric Pokémon saw its trainer, it jumped off of Calem and returned to its rightful spot.

"Calem? What are you doing here?" Serena asked, shocked. She didn't expect Calem to be waiting by the doors.

"Someone had to talk some sense into your friends. But I guess I came in a little too late. Apparently you already did." He patted her head before gesturing her to come in from the cold.

Ash followed behind her and Calem told him to join the others on ridiculing Gary. Serena was going to come clean to her friends, but she guessed that Calem already did that. She sort of felt bad for Gary but at least their seventeen-hour relationship was finally over. After what he did, he deserved every kind of teasing her friends were going to throw at him.

"I'm a better brother than you think," said Calem after Ash disappeared into her dressing room. "I do feel bad about yesterday, but it's my job as your older brother to tease you from time to time."

Serena rolled her eyes, glaring at her brother. "I don't tease you about anything though."

"Because you're the squirt." He patted her head again while letting out a hearty laugh. "You know, I figured something was off the second Gary introduced himself as your boyfriend. I just didn't know what and why. And then while you were all checking into your rooms, I saw Gary by a window, looking through his camera. I peeked and saw that picture of you shirtless."

Serena's face turned bright red. She then raised her arms, covering her chest, feeling violated by the fact that her older brother saw the picture of her half naked. "Calem!" she shrieked. "How could you!?"

Calem laughed. "How was I supposed to know that you were going to be naked? Besides, I've seen you naked a million times as a baby. What's the difference?"

"I'm older and developed!"

"Really?" He deadpanned. "I haven't noticed."

Serena slapped her brother on the arm, getting a groan from out of him.

As he reached to rub the pain emanating beneath his skin, Calem met Serena's eyes, a serious expression overtaking his face. "You know, I saw that picture and pieced it together right away. I just didn't know who to ask to help me with getting rid of the picture. Alain would give you a hard time, plus whenever I'm around your girl friends, all they ever do it drool around me. But then Ash came to me asking for my help. I don't know what's going on between you and Ash anymore, but he's a great guy Serena. To be honest, I think I'll always be rooting for him."

Serena looked down, flustered by Calem's words. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she answered after some time.

"I'm not dense when it comes to love," he countered. "I can obviously tell that you like him again." He leaned down, his lips just a couple inches apart from Serena's ear. "And I can tell that he likes you too."

Serena gulped. Ash's question was echoing through her mind again.

"Serena!"

The honey blonde looked up to see her friends running her way.

"We are so sorry!" Dawn called out. "We'll make it up to you!"

"I guess your friends are waiting for you," Calem said, pushing Serena forward to reconcile with her friends.

As Serena stumbled forward, her friends pulled her into a hug while Alain stood to the side, an apologetic look on his face. Beside him was Gary who looked tired and defeated and next to him was Ash with a smile on his face. Serena's eyes lingered over Ash. She liked him. She just didn't know what to do about it.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Below the Mountains**

"C'mon you guys," said Serena. "We need to work on our assignment. Tomorrow is our last full day here. We should finish our work first and go skiing tomorrow."

"But my gear is already on," May complained.

"I'm not in the class so I don't care," Miette said, sipping on some hot cocoa.

"I agree with Serena," said Ash. "We should finish our assignment."

"I vote we do it tomorrow. Who agrees with me?" Dawn asked, raising her cup of cocoa.

Serena looked around her to see that everyone in her class, but Ash had their hands up.

"I'll help you Serena," said Alain, unstrapping his ski boots.

"No!" Dawn and May yelled out at the same time. "You're teaching Shauna how to ski!"

And that was it. Serena was going to have some alone time with Ash.

* * *

 **NOTE:** **I really hoped to finish this story before school would start, but sadly, I will not be able too. So my updates may not be as frequent. I haven't been to school in like 2 years. Gosh. I'm gonna be rusty. Also, I've been really into writing for Miraculous LadyBug, so I've been updating that more. haha... I'm still an amourshipper though!**

 **Anywho, Happy Holidays & I wish you all a great start to the new year :)**

 **As usual... Like, Follow, PM, or Review! :) They are all greatly appreciated.**


	18. Into the Mountains

**NOTE:** **Hey guys! So, I had to split this chapter into two. As I wrote it, I realized that it would be really long and I sort of want to keep my chapters near the same length. So, this chapter will be "Into the Mountains", and the next one will be "Below the Mountains" (as what I have put in the preview in the last chapter) :)**

 **Just one question from last chapter.**

 _ **Guest:**_ _...After Ash's battle with Alian did Greninja go back to Oak's lab? He wasn't there when you introduced Ash's Alolan team._

 **I didn't think much about Ash's team tbh. It's not that important since this is mostly just school and drama. Although, when choosing it, I went with anime logic and went with "he has a new team all the time.. soo..."**

 _ **Thanks to everyone who reviewed since last! - Daisy Pragnya, StreetRacer-Sam, skyblu23, aliensinnoh, FantasyLover88, Q-A Authoress, JayFan67, UptownFunk, Phsycres, Bluejack222, 2 Guest's, and DoodleRose.**_

 **Ya'll are awesome! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen: Into the Mountains**

"Time to hit the slopes!" Dawn yelled out excitedly, pumping a fist into the air. She then stuffed the rest of her pecha danish into her mouth before taking a swig from her hot cocoa.

Serena turned her attention to the bluenette after handing her Delphox one of the many pokepuffs her and Miette made the day before. She smacked her hands together, rubbing her palms against one another to rid of any crumbs that were clinging to her skin.

"Are you sure you want to hit the slopes?" asked Serena, looking down to the coffee table where her own danish was still sitting on the quaint dish, untouched. She then took a seat on one of the comfy leather couches that was surrounding the large, round table. As she did, she reached out for her treat, taking a bite out of it after pulling it close to her mouth.

"Why wouldn't we?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow. The bluenette then stood up from the couch across from Serena and grabbed her coat that was draped across the armrest. After zipping up her coat, the bluenette pulled out a black knitted toque from her pocket and fitted it atop her head.

Serena glanced over at May who was standing behind Dawn, pulling a glove over her hand. Arnold was already fitting his ski goggles over his eyes and Gary was already heading out the door. He just finished returning his Pokémon to their pokeballs, and the others were doing the same. It was kind of odd for him to decide to go skiing with the others. No one was really in the mood to talk to him right now. The only person who was finding him tolerable was Dawn and that was because he was her project partner. She was the only one answering his questions or replying to his comments, but her answers were always crude or ill mannered. Everyone believed he deserved it though. Even Arnold was angry and he wasn't really in the loop. The ignorance didn't seem to be affecting Gary that much though. He was still hanging around everyone. The only difference was his quietness. Serena found it weird, but she preferred it that way.

"You guys don't want to start your assignment?" Serena asked. She placed her treat back on the coffee table before lifting her backpack from the floor and placing it on her lap. "I mean, wouldn't it be better to finish the assignment first?"

"No," Dawn answered and May was quick to follow.

"C'mon you guys," Serena grimaced as she watched the two girls fit their helmets over their toque-covered heads. "Tomorrow is our last full day. We should finish our assignment first and have fun tomorrow."

"But I just finished putting on my gear," May complained, but sounded more like she was looking for an excuse.

"I'm not in the class so I don't care," Miette chimed in, sipping from her mug of hot cocoa.

Serena turned her head to the left and glared at Miette, who in return blinked her way a couple times before gazing downwards at the Slurpuff by her feet. Sometimes Serena never understood Miette's trivial and unhelpful comments. It was most likely for her amusement, but still, Serena found it a nuisance.

"I agree with Serena." Ash stood from the leather armchair adjacent to the couch Serena was sitting on. "We should finish our assignment. After that, we'll have nothing to worry about. We can spend the whole day doing whatever we want."

The apples of Serena's cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. Ash was taking her side and it was making her feel all tingly inside. She kept her gaze on him as he looked to his classmates. Maybe two voices were going to somehow persuade the rest.

"I vote we do it tomorrow. Now whose with me?" Dawn raised her voice before picking up her mug, drinking the remainder of cocoa. She gulped the entire thing and then placed it back on the coffee table.

As she straightened up, Serena looked to the rest of the students in Professor Sycamore's class. Other than Ash, they all had their hands up, agreeing with Dawn's suggestion.

"I'll come along if you'd like," said Alain, shrugging his shoulders. He was standing a little far from the group, his back pressed against the wall, one hand in his pocket, and the other holding onto a half eaten granola bar.

He was one of the three who was minding his own business. Shauna was sitting next to Serena, quietly eating her oatmeal, and Miette who was sitting next to Shauna was playing with her Slurpuff, slowly tuning out their conversation.

"No!" Dawn and May yelled out in complete sync. "You're going to teach Shauna how to ski!"

"He is?" Shauna glanced up with a mouthful of oatmeal in her mouth. Surprised by May and Dawn's sudden plans, a little bit of oatmeal slopped from her mouth and back into her disposable bowl.

"You two know how to ski," said Alain, placing his granola bar on the mantle where the fireplace was keeping the café nice and warm. He then kneeled down, unstrapping the ski boots that Dawn and May so eagerly forced him to put on just moments before. "You can teach Shauna."

"But you're a great skier!" Dawn blurted out. "We all need your guidance."

Alain stopped unstrapping his boots and squinted his eyes at the two girls. Serena could tell that he was confused by what was going on. He was probably wondering why they were so eager to hang out with him. They were scared of him. If only he knew of there plans to get him with Shauna.

"Last time I checked, May won the Snowbelle ski tournament the year before," Alain pointed out, continuing with unstrapping his boots. "I'd rather help Serena anyways. Maybe she can finish the assignment quicke-"

Alain stopped mid sentence as Dawn and May neared him, dragging him away by each grabbing onto one of his arms.

"Hey!" Alain yelled out, infuriated. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"You're teaching us whether you like it or not," Dawn said as she let one of her arms go from his bicep to grab the black duffel bag that had all his gear.

"I guess that's my cue to leave," Shauna said, finishing her last bit of oatmeal. She then reached out for her glass of apple juice and chugged it within seconds. "I'll see you guys later." She stood up from the couch and followed Gary and Arnold out of the café after returning her Pokémon to their pokeballs.

Serena sighed. She really wanted to be with everyone when completing the assignment. She thought it would be more fun that way. But that wasn't true. The real reason was because she didn't want to be alone with Ash. She hasn't liked anyone in years. Yet alone, the boy she tried so hard to forget. It was too awkward for her. She didn't know how to deal with the romantic feelings that resurfaced. The best thing she thought she could do was to ignore her beating heart by immersing herself in other activities. That's why she got Miette to make pokepuffs with her after the Showcase. And after that, she spent the rest of the night creating a busy schedule. More training. Trying out new activities. Going to Lumiose to visit Bonnie and Clemont. Ash wouldn't be on her mind if she was so busy, plus she would be saving herself from getting hurt if something were to come out of it.

The only problem on her schedule was trying to complete their last project for Sycamore's class. Serena knew that she would have to be alone with him, and she didn't want that. So, she planned to have everyone work on the project together, but separately. She was going to tell the girls of her idea the night before, but she hadn't realized that she was planning till two in the morning. Everyone was asleep, and Serena just hoped that they would follow her suggestion. Her plan backfired though. They did the exact opposite of what she wanted.

"Hey Miette…" Serena said, scooting over to the bluenette who was looking over a small booklet that contained all of the shows or events happening around the city. Serena gulped as Miette turned a page in the book. "Do you… want to join us with completing our assignment?"

Miette turned her head to look at Serena. She tilted her head, squinting her eyes as she placed the booklet on her lap.

Serena bit her bottom lip. She knew that Miette was trying to read her mind. Miette was always the first to pick up on everything before everyone else. She probably knew that Shauna had a crush on Alain before Shauna even admitted it. She most likely didn't say it because she wanted it to come from Shauna's mouth. Again, that was for her amusement.

"No," Miette replied in a cheery tone.

Serena pursed her lips together, keeping her expression emotionless. Her inner self was gaping in horror with her soul leaving her body. She also felt like a boulder just fell from out of nowhere, crushing her shoulders. Her last thread of hope was burned to a crisp.

Miette lifted the booklet from her lap and frantically began to flip through the pages. After finding the page she was looking for, she held the book up to Serena's face.

"What?" Serena deadpanned, her eyes glossing over a dozen words. A dozen different events.

"Right here," said Miette, turning the booklet for a mere moment to point out what she wanted Serena to see.

Serena blinked as Miette shoved the booklet into Serena's hands. She then put her finger on the line that she wanted the honey blonde to read.

"Beginners Rhyhorn Racing, lead by Calem Yvonne and his team," Serena mumbled.

Serena seriously wanted to smack Miette on the head. She's had a crush on her older brother for as long as she could remember. They were seven years apart. There was no way on earth that she was going to win her brother's heart. He was a pervert and a playboy. Even Gary was better than him.

"I'm going to find your brother!" Miette announced before grabbing her belongings and prancing out the café door. Trailing along behind her was her Slurpuff, still eating its pokepuff.

Serena sighed in disappointment, but also in relief. There was a chance that Miette didn't pick up on her newfound feelings for Ash. She was probably too deep in her thoughts over Calem. And as much as Serena despised it, she had to thank Calem for it.

"So I guess it's just you and me then," said Ash, rubbing the palms of his hands against his jeans.

"Ri-Right," said Serena. "Le-let's get to it then!" She placed a fist over her chest. With everyone gone, she could feel it pounding throughout her entire body. It was ringing through her ears, and it made her feel as if Ash was able to hear it too.

 _Relax Serena._ She told herself. _Our Pokémon are here. It won't be such a big-_

"Let me just return my Pokémon to their pokeballs." Ash reached around his belt, grabbing his pokeballs. "It will be much easier for us to get to a habitat without them around. If they are seen, they might scare away the wild Pokémon too." As he returned each Pokémon, he looked over to Serena's Delphox. "If they see your Delphox, they might think that they're going to be under attack. It's mostly going to be ice types here, and they might be afraid to see something they are weak too, especially if they have young ones around them. It's just a survival instinct."

"That's true…" Serena mumbled, reaching for her own pokeballs.

After a minute, their Pokémon were no longer in the room, making Serena realize that they were the only ones in the café. Even the barista's and waiters were gone. They were probably cleaning a few things in the back.

"Shall we go?" Ash asked, standing from his seat. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder, allowing him to put on his coat.

"Ye-Yeah," Serena answered, standing from her own seat to put on her winter wear. As she did, she looked over to Pikachu who was standing on the armrest, waiting for Ash to finish with putting on his coat.

 _Pikachu is here. That's gotta help!_ Serena sighed in relief once more as she zipped up her jacket. She then turned around, reaching for the rest of her winter accessories. Her eyes widened as she stared at the yellow knitted scarf. It was the one that Ash gave to her yesterday. She didn't realize that she forgot to give it back to him. She didn't even notice that she grabbed onto it before going to the café for breakfast. Serena grazed the scarf with her fingertips before clenching her fist. She glanced at Ash who was putting on his gloves. She noticed that he didn't have a scarf with him.

 _Should I return it to him?_ She thought. _I could go up and grab a different one. What if he's cold?_ Serena grazed the material again, unsure if she should just wear it. She didn't want to waste his time by going upstairs to grab a scarf. _What is wrong with me? I was comfortable with him the second he got here. I even teased him about his love life… His love life… Did he have a girlfriend in Alola? Is that why he's no longer dense?_ Serena felt the beat of her pound harder. This time it hurt though – another familiar feeling she hasn't felt in a very long time. _No, Serena._ She shook her head. _That's none of your business._

"Serena? Are you okay?"

The honey blonde jerked her head to look at the Alolan Champion. He was fully dressed and looked pretty warm in all his winter gear. Pikachu was already perched up on his shoulder too, and he already had his backpack on.

"Uhh… yeah," she squeaked, feeling her cheeks burn. With the added heat from the fireplace, she was starting to feel sweaty beneath her coat. "I was just wondering if you wanted your scarf back." She grabbed the knitted scarf from the couch, her arm a little shaky as she held it in front of him to grab.

"It's okay," he said. "You can keep it. Besides, I got it for you anyways."

"But, won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine." He smiled. "Besides, if I get sick, it's not a big deal. But if you get sick, you won't be able to train well for the next Showcase. And I want you winning the next one."

"Right." She looked down, feeling much more nervous because of his answer. She then wrapped the scarf around her neck before putting on her gloves and fitting the shoulder straps of her backpack around her arms.

"Great," he said. "I think I know a good place for us to find a habitat too. I saw it one of the booklets."

"Okay," Serena squeaked as she followed Ash out the door.

* * *

The honey blonde stood in line, waiting to receive a Rhyhorn that was going to escort them up the mountain. Ash was busy looking through a few other winter gear set up in the area, talking to one of the advisors if anything else was necessary for the trip up.

Usually, most people took the Rhyhorn's to the other side of the mountain to go to the next city. For those staying in Snowbelle, they were allowed to go to the top of mountain to enjoy the view of the city from a small lodge. They were also allowed to wander around the paths, observing the wild Pokémon.

Serena glanced up at the television that was bolted up on the wall above the registration counter. The channel was set on the weather network and the woman on the screen was talking about the current weather conditions in the city. At the bottom of the screen was a red news ticker with the words "SNOWSTORM COMING OUR WAY!" scrolling by. Serena looked up at the news reporter, tuning out the rest of the noises around her.

"Be careful today everyone! A snowstorm is to be heading our way around 4PM! Everyone is advised to stay away from the mountains after lunch time to ensure safety and proper evacuation."

The weather lady repeated her message once more, causing Serena to worry about her friends on the slopes. She hoped that they were well aware of the message. They had too. If the workers were doing their jobs, everyone should be safe.

"Hey, squirt!"

Serena looked up to see her brother walking her way with a key in his hand. The key used to show that he was renting a Rhyhorn. Beside him was a girl – a blonde with long curly waves, fair skin, and piercing green eyes. She had a thin nose, and small lips that were covered in a tinted pink lip-gloss. Under all those layers of clothing, Serena could tell that she probably had a body to die for. After all, her brother was always after girls that practically looked like models.

Serena looked down, noticing that the two were holding hands. She wondered how long these two were supposedly dating for. This was most likely the first date. After all, he never made it pass date one with a girl. It was a good thing Miette decided not to come. She would be burning with jealously if she did. Although, she would also be disappointed to see that Calem wasn't at the class she was so eager to attend.

"This is my sister. Squirt, this is Lacey."

"Hi there," Lacey said, extending her arm, holding her hand out.

"Hi," Serena greeted, shaking her hand. "My name's Serena. Not squirt." She glared at her older brother.

Lacey giggled. "Don't worry. My older brother calls me names too."

Serena smiled. Lacey seemed nice. Hopefully she didn't want a relationship from her brother. "So, why are you here Calem?" she asked, returning her attention to her brother. "I was looking through this booklet and saw that you were supposed to be teaching a Rhyhorn class here."

"Yeah," he said. "I let my assistant Brian lead the class today. It's a good learning experience. And in return, I get to take a break and spend the day with Lacey." He turned his attention to the blonde and kissed her on the cheek. "Why don't you get our Rhyhorn?" he said to Lacey. "I'll catch up with you. I just have to talk to my sister for a second."

"Sure." Lacey grabbed the key from Calem's hand. "It was nice meeting you Serena."

"You too," Serena said as she watched Lacey walk over to the entrance leading to the Rhyhorn's.

"So," he said, a sly grin on his face. "I don't see any of your other classmates. I just see Ash…"

Serena rolled her eyes. "It's just a project!" she stammered, her face turning red. "Where did you even meet Lacey and why did you take her here?"

"I met her two days ago at one of my lessons," He grinned. "And I like taking girls here because I'm an expert Rhyhorn Racer. They go crazy when I let them ride with me." He winked. "So you and Ash are on a date, huh?" He nudged her arm with his elbow. "My sister's growing up so fast." A twinkle appeared in his eye.

"It's not a date. I told you, it's a school project! We need to observe wild Pokémon."

"Mmhmm," he said, unconvinced. "Did you choose this place?"

"No, he did."

"It's a date," he teased. "This is a hot spot for dates. Look around you squirt. Couples everywhere."

Serena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms before deciding to take a look at the people around her. Calem was right. Almost everyone here was a couple.

"He hit two Fletchling's with one stone," said Calem. "Finishing an assignment while taking you on a date. He's a clever one." He winked again. "Maybe I'll see you at the lodge later." He sauntered pass Serena, then turned around. "Be aware of the snowstorm, squirt!" He turned back the other way, heading towards the Rhyhorn pen.

Serena rolled her eyes again.

"Calem is here?" Ash asked, appearing out of nowhere. "I thought he was supposed to be teaching a class."

"He always finds a way out of his duties."

"I bet Miette is disappointed," he said before lifting up the plastic baggie in his hand. "I got us some snacks and a blanket. It might get a bit chilly when we're looking at the Pokémon."

Serena looked inside the bag, seeing a waterproof blanket and a couple packets of candy and chips. _It's kind of like a picnic…_ Serena thought. She gulped as Calem's voice echoed through her mind. He was chanting one word in particular. The word date.

 _But it's not a date._ Serena told herself before looking up to see another guy exiting the shop. He stopped in front of a girl, pulling out a blanket from the bag and showing her the snacks that he bought.

 _No… those two could be sibli-_

She watched the two kiss each other on the lips.

"Serena, we're next in line," said Ash, heading towards the counter.

Serena gulped as she looked around her. There were couples everywhere. Calem was right when he pointed out that this was a couple's hotspot.

 _But maybe it's just a coincidence…_ Serena tried to convince herself.

She leaned forward, trying to find a group of friends or a lone tourist in the room. The more her eyes wandered, the more angsty she got. A million questions began to ponder her mind – was Ash really using this time to take her out on a date? Is this some kind of trick? Is Calem right?

The honey blonde took a step back, feeling dizzy from all the thoughts crossing her mind. She took off her toque, her head feeling a cool sensation as the sweat on her forehead began to dry off. She crunched the knitted material in her hand, now noticing that she was profusely sweating under all her layers of clothes.

It was her nervousness. It was making her well-being go haywire. She was overthinking the situation, and couldn't seem to stop. It was just a project, but she kept thinking it was more. And now she was worrying about the smell of her odor. Or if her hair was kept intact under her toque. Or if she had a booger sticking out of her nose.

"Serena? Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"What?" Serena looked up from staring down at her boots. She didn't notice that she ended up looking at the ground after scanning the area.

Ash held the key up, and grabbed Serena's wrist, pulling her away from the line.

Serena bit hard on her bottom lip as she stared at Ash's hand. She felt her temperature rise, causing her undergarments to uncomfortably stick to her body. He then pulled away and Serena's eyes followed his arm as he pulled it back to his side.

"We should go," he said, leading her to the Rhyhorn pen. "We don't want to be caught up in that storm later."

Serena shook her head before slowly inching it upwards to look at him. "Ri-Right," she muttered.

Ash turned his head, flashing Serena with a small smile. "Great," he said. "Let's go."

Serena held her breath, her face turning a bright shade of red. Somehow she was going to have to get through the next few hours being alone with Ash.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Below The Mountains**

"Remember when you told me about those little notes you and Miette would hide in your dorm room?" Ash asked, unzipping his bag.

"Yeah?" Serena raised an eyebrow. She forgot she told Ash about that. She even forgot that her and Gary took over her and Miette's room from the year before.

"Well, I think I found one." He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his bag. The thing was folded as if it were meant to be some new type of origami. "Don't worry. I never looked at it. I thought you'd like to see it first."

"Oh," said Serena, feeling somewhat excited to read what was on the note. The piece of paper was pink, indicating that it was one of her notes.

Serena grabbed the folded note from Ash's hand and meticulously began to unfold the paper.

Once unfolded, Serena's eyes widened - _One day, I will kiss Ash Ketchum._

"So what does it say?" Ash asked.

* * *

 **And as usual, Leave a Like, Follow, PM, or Review. :)**


	19. Below the Mountains

**NOTE:** And here it is! The next chapter! Sorry it took awhile. :)

Onto some reviews!

 _ **aliensinnoh:**_ _...I'm surprised she wrote that note though, wasn't she already trying to forget Ash at that point?_

 **I seriously should have written the past details somewhere. The more chapters I write, the more difficult it is for me to remember what happened in the past. There's an explanation in this chapter, and I'm surely hoping it fit with what I planned. lmao. I think it did, but that is definitely something I'll keep in mind for future stories. :)**

 _ **DefinitelyNotLit:**_ _..._ _And does ash have a z-ring and all the other z crystals?_

 **I didn't really plan out Ash's adventures since it's not that important. I would say the drama and interactions with people he met are more important. This leans more towards a typical school fic, but I still wanted Pokemon and certain elements on Pokemon in here. So, it is how it is...**

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! - Queen Got Swag, FantasyLover88, Q-A Authoress, Nexxus176, Bluejack222, UptownFunk, Guest, Elcall**_ (Your review put a smile on my face! It means alot, especially coming from a quiet reader! Thanks so much!) _, **PunishedEagle88.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)**_

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen: Below The Mountains**

Ash and Serena reached the top of the mountain with enough time to complete their assignment. Serena smiled, bringing her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the blinding rays of the sun. She inhaled, taking in the fresh mountain air while looking down at the incredible view. She shifted around in her leather saddle, her eyes fixated on the sight below the mountain. It amazed her to see that a city that seemed so big was actually small compared to the rest of the world. Beyond the gleaming lights and moving cars was the vast, green canopy, extending for miles and miles. Serena could only imagine what wild Pokémon were lurking by those hundreds of trees.

With guidance from one of the workers, the Rhyhorn trudged through the snow and into the docking area.

"Easy now," said the worker as it rubbed Rhyhorn's rocky head.

Serena grabbed onto her bag, rechecking her supplies to make sure that nothing accidentally fell when they were traveling up the mountain. As she opened up the small pocket on front of her bag, she smacked her lips, rubbing them together. She could feel a few dry, flaky bits irritating her lips. She reached her balm and immediately applied a thin coat to her lips before rubbing them together once more. As she returned her balm and zipped up her bag, she looked up, noticing Ash's hand extending upwards towards her.

"C'mon," he said, offering to help her off of the Rhyhorn.

Serena stared at his hand, contemplating whether or not she should accept his help. If she didn't, then she would look like a jerk. But if she did, then they would look like a couple to everyone else. Serena mentally shook her head, wondering why these kinds of thoughts were suddenly clouding her mind. It was just a friendly gesture. It was nothing more than that. This was Ash for crying out loud. He would probably do the same for Dawn or Clemont.

"We should hurry," said Ash, looking to his right. "We want to finish before the snowstorm comes."

"R-Right," said Serena, grabbing onto his hand. Now she felt stupid for accepting his request so late.

The honey blonde jumped down and thanked the worker who in return reminded them to be back just before one. The duo nodded and headed off into the wild.

* * *

It was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the rush of the weak wind. Serena looked down to her boots that were leaving imprints in the snow. She furrowed her brow, trying to listen to the crunching noises that sounded with each step she took.

Every so often she glanced up, looking at Ash who was leading the way. He had a map in his hands, using it as a guide to prevent them from getting lost. Pikachu was intently staring at the map, making sure that its trainer wasn't taking the wrong turn.

Serena chewed on her bottom lip. The constant chewing immediately dried out her lips, making her reapply her balm for the fourth time since they left the Rhyhorn stable. She clasped her mitten-covered hands together and began rubbing her palms. She couldn't think about anything other than her feelings for Ash. Every time he looked to the left, she caught herself catching a glimpse of his auburn colored eyes. A week ago, they were just auburn. They were just eyes. But now they were much more. She found them beautiful and wanted to stare into them forever. And then she would shake her head, trying to fight her sudden romantic urges.

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Huh? What's that buddy?" said Ash, who was still looking down at the map.

Serena glanced up and took a step next to the Alolan champion. She looked to the right, noticing a few Cubchoo's and Beartic's walking by a few snow covered bushes. "There's some wild Pokémon there," said Serena, pointing ahead.

Ash looked up, noticing what the two were staring at. "Quicker than expected," he said.

"Really? Weren't we walking for a half hour?"

Ash chuckled. "It's only been around seven minutes, Serena." He turned to look at her and flashed her with a toothy grin. He then looked over to Pikachu and thanked his buddy for finding them some wild Pokémon for them to study.

Serena stood there, stunned. _Has it really been seven minutes?_ She checked her phone, confirming the time. _I guess I was thinking too much…_

"Let's go," he said. "We'll be done in no time. Then we can join the others and do something back at the hotel."

"Ye-Yeah," said Serena. If they finished fast enough, then she'd be away from Ash sooner. It was a great plan. She just had to trudge through the assignment, and she'd be back to safety.

* * *

Serena sighed in relief as she stuffed her textbooks back into her bag. She pulled her phone from out of her pocket and looked at the time. 12:45PM. They've been doing their assignment for a little over than an hour. It felt like an eternity to her though. Ash decided that they should divide their list of questions, so that they would finish the assignment much faster. He wanted to be able to work on each question together, but he also wanted to finish before the snowstorm. If they didn't finish, they would have to come back the next day, and he was adamant about getting a chance on the slopes without having to worry about completing their assignment.

Serena thought that it was an excellent idea. That meant that they didn't have to talk. And they rarely did. The only problem was that they were going to have to review their questions together. The assignment wasn't a presentation, but Serena knew Professor Sycamore. To make sure that they were actually working together, he was probably going to randomly question the duo before they handed in the assignment. Serena hated that aspect of Professor Sycamore's teaching, but he was only doing it to make sure that the work was balanced.

"We should hurry," said Ash. "We don't want to be stuck up here."

"Yeah," Serena replied before draping the straps of her bag around her shoulders. She stood up and looked at Ash, and the two began their walk back to the Rhyhorn stable.

It didn't take that long for them to retrieve their Rhyhorn and return back down the mountain. Serena saw Calem at the stables before they left. When Ash went to the worker to get their Rhyhorn, Calem pranced to Serena and began teasing her about her 'date' with Ash. Before Serena even had the chance to tell him otherwise, Ash came back. He asked Calem if he wanted to join them on their way back down, but Calem rejected his offer. He smirked at Serena, and Serena knew what he was insinuating.

Serena tapped her boots against the edge of the doorframe, trying to rid her boots of any excess snow. She then followed Ash into the room they were in a few hours ago and began sliding her boots against the black rug. She walked over to the exit and opened the door once she saw Ash walking her way after returning the key. She spotted a taxi and was thinking of taking it back to the hotel.

"Wait," said Ash, causing Serena close the door.

She could tell that the storm was on its way. She barely opened the door, but she felt a strong gust of wind against her face.

"What is it?" she asked quietly. She moved from the exit, allowing some strangers to exit the building.

"Did you want to eat here?" he asked, pointing at the arched doorway that led to what looked to be a quaint café.

"Oh." Serena looked down. "I don't know… Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to the hotel? We don't want to be caught in the storm…"

He chuckled. "The workers said that it should be fine in town. It's just the slopes they are worrying about. Besides, I'm pretty hungry, and I know that Pikachu is too." He rubbed his belly.

Serena smiled. She forgot that Ash was the one to get hungry after every task he completed. Now that he was mentioning food, Serena felt pretty hungry herself.

"While we eat, we can read each other's notes. Then tomorrow we can hit the slopes while everyone else finishes their assignment."

She hated it, but he was making a good point. "I guess I am pretty hungry," said Serena.

"Great. Let's go!"

"Pikachu!"

Serena took a deep breath, finding it kind of unbelievable that she was going to have to spend another hour alone with Ash. She really wanted to get back to the hotel and join the others. They were all probably off the slopes and having a late lunch at the buffet. Or maybe they left the slopes early to have some fun at the indoor pool. Serena sighed. She really wanted to be with the others.

The honey blonde took a seat across from Ash at the café. After ordering their food, the two released their Pokémon from their pokeballs. There was a playpen for Pokémon just across the café, so while they were waiting for their food, their Pokémon were happily playing in the background.

Serena reached for her cup of iced water, taking a swig as she began reading Ash's notes. After reading a few sentences, she started to feel like a terrible partner. She had a hard time concentrating on the mountains, so her observations weren't written to the best of her abilities. She continued to skim his notes, noticing that he added extra information that wasn't needed. He added his own hypotheses about certain things, his own thoughts about the life of the Cubchoo's and Beartic's. If she added her work to the assignment, the grade was going to be pulled from an A+ to a B-. She had to fix her answers before handing in the assignment. She had to make them much more profound and observing like Ash.

"You don't have to worry about adding more information," said Ash like he was reading her mind.

"Huh?" Serena blinked, finding it kind of creepy. This was the second time that he was able to pick up on what she was thinking.

"I'm in the researcher's program. I need to get used to answering things a certain way. It's practice for me. This is just a beginner's course for you. You don't have to worry about it."

"But wouldn't Professor Sycamore know that we didn't answer these questions together?" asked Serena.

"Professor Sycamore actually gave Gary and I a little more extra work than the rest of the class." He tugged on a piece of paper that was hanging from his textbook.

Serena grabbed the paper from his grip and began skimming the words on the page.

"He just wants a little bit more input since we were unable to join a different elective, so it's fine." He smiled before taking the paper and tucking it back into his textbook. His face then lit up and he dropped his pencil onto the table. "I almost forgot about this." He began rummaging through his backpack.

Serena tilted her head, curious as to what he was looking for. She tucked her pencil at the center of her textbook, making sure that it wasn't going to roll off the table. She straightened her spine, slightly leaning over the table, trying to find what he was looking for.

"Remember when you told me about those little notes you and Miette would hide in your dorm room?" he asked, unzipping the front compartment of his bag.

"Yeah?" Serena raised an eyebrow. She forgot that she told him about that. She also forgot that him and Gary were the ones who took over her former room. The room that she was with since she started attending the academy.

"Well, I think I found one."

Serena leaned back and sat comfortably in her chair as Ash placed a folded note in front of her. Her and Miette were really into origami during the time that they created all their notes. It was probably the very first activity Serena learned to get over Ash. Some folds were simple, while others were quite advanced. Sometimes their notes were folded to look like envelopes. Others were paper cranes or flowers. The one in front of her was a blooming rose. Serena remembered that once she mastered the rose, she wouldn't stop making them. She was so absorbed in folding paper that she mastered a bunch of different kinds only a week into starting it.

"Don't worry," said Ash, handing it to her. "I never looked at it. I thought you'd like to see it first, and well, I didn't want to ruin your work."

Serena smiled, eager to see what was written on the note. Her and Miette left dozens of notes in that room. Some of them didn't even make sense, but Serena didn't care. She meticulously began to unfold the pink piece of origami paper. If she remembered correctly, pink indicated that it was something she wrote.

Once unfolded, Serena's eyes widened.

 _One day, I will kiss Ash Ketchum._

She almost choked on her own saliva reading those words. It was a distant memory, but Serena remembered why she wrote it. It was during her first year at the academy. She was such an emotional teen back then. Ash left for quite some time at that point, but she was still insanely in love with him. That's when Miette started to force her into taking some classes to take her mind off of him. She told her that if she focused on other things, her crush would fade away. At one point, Serena thought that it was working. But then she received a letter from Ash, detailing his adventures in Alola. Then he wrote 'I miss ya!' at the end of the letter. She was ecstatic over his words, so she wrote that note. She didn't realize that he sent the exact same letter to all of his former travelling companions though. Once she befriended Dawn and May, they showed their letters to her and began laughing at Ash, saying that it was typical of him to send the exact same letter to everyone. Serena thought those words were for her, but they weren't. And that's when she realized that she had to get over him a hundred percent. She was out almost all of the time. She was busy with clubs, visiting Shauna and the siblings as much as she can. She even went to plays and movies alone. And then she came across Alain, and from there, things drastically changed.

"So what does it say?" asked Ash, curious.

"Oh, uhm… It's nothing important." Serena folded the paper in half.

"If it isn't so important, then why can't I see it?" A smirk crept onto his face. He reached for the paper, almost grabbing it between his thumb and index finger.

Noticing his actions, Serena quickly pulled the paper away, allowing his fingers to grasp onto nothing.

Ash grimaced. "I can't see it? I found it. I should be able to read at least a part of it," he said playfully. He scooted his chair closer to Serena and extended his arm, trying to grab the folded note that she was hiding behind her back.

"It's a secret." Serena giggled, extending her arm backwards.

Ash leaned in closer, trying to reach for the paper that was almost within his reach. "But we're friends right? Do you know how hard it was for me to not open up the thing and read the note myself?"

Serena shook her head in a mocking manner. "Well it's too bad that you decided not too." She laughed and then turned her head, meeting his auburn colored eyes.

She didn't notice how close he was. She could feel his warm breath against her cheek.

"I-uhm-" Serena tried, feeling herself unable to breath. She choked on her words, but swallowed hard. He wasn't moving away.

Instead of moving back or saying anything, Ash just stared into her eyes. He then leaned in closer, his lids slowly covering his auburn orbs.

Serena gulped once more, unable to process what was happening. Before she could say anything else, she felt his lips pressing against hers. Her body tensed up, and she dropped the folded note onto the floor. Her extended arm slowly started to fall down to her side as she felt Ash's lips move against hers. Serena slowly closed her eyes, feeling her body relax, but she was immediately taken aback as Ash pulled away.

Serena's eyes fluttered open and she stared at the raven haired trainer in front of her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean too, I just…" He stopped, thinking of what to say.

Serena sat there in confusion. She didn't know what to say or what to think. It all happened incredibly fast. She just knew that she wanted to kiss him again.

"Ash…" she said quietly. "Do you-"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" A loud voice sounded right next to her.

Serena was about to turn her head, but was forcefully pulled away from her wrist and dragged away from Ash. She was still stunned and unable to process anything that was happening. She looked at Ash who had a look of guilt on his face. She then turned to look at the person who grabbed onto her. It was Alain, and he was furious. He dragged her away from the seating area and into a small hall that led to the washrooms.

"WHAT THE HELL, SERENA?" He was angry, but his voice was shaky too. "DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO PICK UP YOUR PHONE?"

"What?" Serena asked, quietly. She was still coming into terms with what just happened.

"DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO PICK UP YOUR PHONE?!" He repeated again. He then paced around the small hall before kicking the stool that was placed beneath a public telephone.

"I..." Serena reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. She had fifteen missed calls and twelve messages from Alain. There were also a few from the others, but not nearly enough as him. She swore it hasn't been long since she checked her phone. Her and Ash just ordered their food. If anything it's been a half hour since she checked it.

"The snowstorm came earlier than expected." He was trying so hard to sound so calm. "Everyone was being evacuated, but we couldn't find Dawn or Gary. They're stuck on the mountain's somewhere."

"What?" said Serena, exasperated.

"If you weren't too busy kissing Ash, then maybe you would have looked at your phone!" His calmness broke and his voice immediately rose. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULD NEVER LIKE HIM AGAIN!"

"I-I don't," Serena's voice faltered. But she did. She was just still coming into terms with it. "We were just doing our assignment, and he kissed me. It was an accident. I didn't want it!"

But she did. Deep down, she really did.

"Is that why everyone was forcing Shauna on me? To get you with Ash? They were all in on this weren't they?!" He questioned, his voice cracking much more than before. "I tried to be her friend for your sake! Because you wanted me too! I tried to befriend everyone, and this is what you do!? You told me that you would never like him again, and now you're kissing him! You shouldn't have told me to befriend Shauna! I would have been able to watch you! I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROTECT YOU!" He hovered over Serena, backing her up against the wall. He then punched the wall beside her head, startling her in the process. He then backed away, not wanting anyone to think that he was trying to hurt her. He paced the small area again before kicking the stool once more, this time letting it fall onto the floor.

Serena made a fist and stood up straight. She then took a deep breath, not wanting to say what she was thinking. But she had to do it.

"I don't need a guard," she said with a stern expression. "I'm fine on my own! And I can like anyone I want too! Even if it is or isn't Ash!"

"BUT YOU BELONG WITH ME!"

And he said it. He finally said it. Serena knew that's what Alain wanted. She knew that all he wanted was her. But she couldn't understand why. All she did was help him cope over Mairin. In her books, that wasn't enough to justify the feelings of love. He was just trying to fill the void, and Serena couldn't accept it. She loved Alain. But as a friend. Nothing more.

"I don't want to be with you," Serena said quietly, unable to meet his eyes. "I will not be with you."

"Why?" He gritted through his teeth.

"Because… Because you're a mess," she admitted. "You've been a mess for years, and you won't do anything about it. You're the Kalos Champion and you're doing nothing to keep your title! There are trainers out there working harder than you trying to take it away! You haven't even battled in two years and you won't even try to be the great trainer you once were! Everyone's trying to help you get back on your feet, but you're just blowing off all the training sessions! You don't deserve to be the Champion anymore!" She was no longer able to control her breathing. She tried so hard, but she felt like she was about to have a panic attack. The tears began to roll down her face. "…And you sure as hell don't deserve me… or my friendship!" She finished off before storming away from him.

She marched out of the hall, and came to a stop at the arched doorway. She looked at Ash who was hovering over the note on the ground. He looked up at her and they briefly made eye contact. Serena squinted her eyes, noticing that the note was lying on the floor with the words faced upwards. It didn't matter to her though. He most likely heard the argument she was having with Alain. By the looks on all the workers faces, everyone did.

Behind Ash were all her Pokémon. They were all holding onto her items, staring at her with concerned looks on their faces. She then turned away, walking through the arch, hearing the footsteps of her Pokémon trailing behind her.

* * *

 **NOTE:** **So, there is no preview for this chapter. Reason? Well, I was looking into the next chapter and felt that it was a sudden change from all the drama that just happened here. I had to take a step back and add in a chapter before doing the one I initially planned (and I didn't plan for the sudden change, soo...).**

 **Thanks for reading though! (:**

 **Leave a like, follow, and/or review!**

 **I love to hear from you guys!**


	20. Girl's Day

**NOTE:** Hey guys... sick... but managed to finish this. I think I feel a bit better not that its night time. lmao. o_O I know it has been awhile, but I was finishing up another story, and then a few things popped up. I should be focusing on this one now (this one is almost done too).

 _ **Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. And yeah, it did escalate quickly didn't it!? lol**_

 _ **Thanks to - Darkness171717, FantasyLover88, RenegadeReviewer**_ (thanks so much for your thoughts :)), _**gurkaran23, Ryanthelion42, c00k33s, Nexxus176, Q-A Authoress, Guest, aliensinnoh, philly cheese dude**_ (thanks for the honest opinions :)), **_Megan Finstrom, JayFan67, Guest, LadyKapuletty_** (thanks :D I unfortunately can't view that link for some reason), _**Daisy Pragnya**_ (I hope nothing was too bad for you to be in the hospital), _**Peter, Tsav.**_

 **Enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty: Girl's Day**

Serena's eyes fluttered open. She pulled her covers up to her chin, staring at the ceiling above her. She took a deep breath, feeling as if a dozen needles were prickling her chest. The slightest movements ached her. She's never felt so emotionally… dead. She could lift up her arms or legs, but it hurt. Whenever she rolled over to get comfortable, the weight of lifting one of her arms was so unbearable. For the entire night, she laid there as motionless as she can, staring at the ceiling before slowly floating off into dreamland. And when she thought that she would be able to get at most, six hours of sleep, her relentless mind woke her, and she stared at the ceiling for another half hour. And then the process repeated. Before she knew it, a portion of the darkened ceiling was reflecting the brightness of the sun.

She couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Ash or about what happened with Alain.

Her romantic feelings were still new, and it's been years since she's felt that way. It was foreign and it caught her by surprise that Ash made a move on her. She wanted to say that it felt great, but she wasn't so sure. He started it, but he was also the one to end it. It made Serena wonder if he genuinely wanted to kiss her or if he was just caught up in the moment. He wasn't the same dense boy from her childhood, but he wasn't much of an amateur either. He must have gotten some kind of experience from Alola. But what? And that note she wrote about kissing him, she knew that he saw it too. How was she going to face him after that?

Alain was a whole other story. Everything with him seemed so simple. She was aware of his feelings for her, and she thought that he was aware of hers towards him. Maybe not. She thought she was so close to him, yet after last night, she's never felt so distant. She's always told him about how she wanted him to improve, to train more, to live up to the title. He just never listened. She felt incredibly bad for yelling at him, but she felt that he deserved it. He needed a wake up call. And the way that he told her that she belonged to him… it drove her insane. It made her feel like some kind of Pokémon that was misbehaving. She was furious, yet she still had a need to apologize to him.

"Rise and shine ladies!" May's voice echoed through their sleeping quarters.

Serena heard her footsteps prance about the room. She then shut her eyes as May opened the curtains widely, allowing the ceiling to be fully exposed to the bright rays.

"Ugh, May, Can you not?!" Dawn yelled out, irritated.

Serena shifted her head on her pillow, turning to the right to see Dawn getting out of her bed to close the curtains. She then shifted her eyes to Shauna and Miette who were pulling their covers over their heads.

"It's already 9AM! It's our last day! We need to do something together before getting on the bus tonight," said May.

"I'm not in the mood," said Dawn while slumping over to her bed.

Serena sighed before deciding to sit up. She wasn't going to get any sleep anyways. She was trying for hours. She might as well do something.

"What is wrong with you guys?" May asked before sitting next to Dawn. "You all came in here last night like something terrible just happened."

"I was stuck. On the slopes. With GARY!" Dawn groaned before taking the pillow closest to her and screaming into it.

"Maybe." May smirked. "But I don't think that is what's bothering you."

Dawn sat up to look at the brunette. "You mean other than hearing his obnoxious stories?"

"I think something happened to you and you aren't telling me. You aren't telling us." She pressed her index finger against Dawn's nose before standing up again. She faced the foursome and began pacing the area. Miette and Shauna pulled their covers to the side, suddenly interested about May's words regarding Dawn.

"In fact," May continued. "I think four of you are hiding something. Something must have happened to all of you yesterday."

Serena looked over to the rest of the girls before looking away. She was so caught up with her own problems that she didn't even think about what was happening with the other girls. She remembered coming back to the lodge and seeing Dawn and Gary by a few paramedics. Miette was sitting by a window with a blank stare, and Shauna was already in bed when she decided to go back to their room. She supposed there could have been something wrong, but it all seemed normal to her.

"Aren't you two supposed to finish your assignment today?" Serena asked, her heart feeling heavy upon saying the word assignment. It was all because of that assignment that triggered those events.

"While you four were sulking, Arnold and I woke up early to complete it," said May. "We're already done."

"And Gary and I finished it on the slopes yesterday," mumbled Dawn with her arms crossed. "We found a hoard of Delibirds…" she trailed off before leaning back towards the headboard and closing her eyes. It was like she just didn't want to recount the events that occurred the day before.

Serena looked down before looking over to Shauna and Miette. They were trying to pay attention, but they all looked loss in their own thoughts as well.

"Since it's our last day, why don't we do something just the five of us?" May suggested. "I mean, Arnold has to complete a different assignment with Gary, and Ash and Alain are no where to be seen. I mean, Gary saw them come in, but they were gone when he woke up."

Serena perked up upon hearing Ash and Alain. She began to wonder how they were feeling. She knew that what happened was probably affecting Alain, but Ash? She wasn't so sure. He was sort of a mystery to her. All she knew was that he was no longer dense.

"I got us five passes to go Rhyhorn racing," said May before pulling out five tickets from her pocket.

"Rhyhorn racing?!" Serena and Miette yelled out at the same time.

Serena looked over to Miette who was looking more flustered than ever. The honey blonde just didn't want to go Rhyhorn racing because of her brother. He was probably going to tease her and try to get the details of her and Ash's so called 'date'. If anything, Miette should be ecstatic to be near her brother. She had a huge crush on him since forever.

Serena squinted her eyes at the bluenette before looking away. There could have been a chance that Miette saw him with Lacey. But how could she? Her brother was one of the last people off the slopes. She couldn't have seen him with her, especially when she decided to go to his Rhyhorn class.

"I think it will be fun!" said May. "Besides, I'm sure your brother will be able to help me with getting you guys to talk."

Serena glowered at May. She should have seen this coming. Her brother was May's secret weapon whenever she wanted to get information out of her, or anyone else.

* * *

"Hey squirt!"

Serena frowned upon seeing that wide and bright smile plastered on her brother's face. That obviously meant that his date with Lacey went exceptionally well. Or, he was just hiding his true feelings.

"Hey…" she lowered her voice as she passed him into the rental equipment booth. The rest of the girls followed behind her as Calem walked closely next to her.

"Date didn't go so well?" he whispered into her ear as she reached the counter. He then leaned against the counter and eyed her with curiosity as the worker went to the back to fetch some equipment.

Serena closed her eyes and sighed. "It was an assignment." She gritted through her teeth. "ASSIGNMENT!" she yelled out before punching him on the arm.

Calem groaned in dismay before standing up straight. He then looked over to May. "She's definitely hiding something," he chuckled, garnering another punch from Serena. "Gosh squirt… When did you get so strong?" He laughed loudly, before clearing his throat. "Hey, Miette," he said rather awkwardly.

Serena reached out to the helmets that the man placed on the table before returning to the back. She began to hand them out to her friends, but immediately looked to Miette upon hearing her brother's greeting.

"Hey… Calem…" Miette said with a small smile.

Serena tilted her head to the side before shifting her gaze between the two. Miette wasn't her usual peppy self, and instead of drooling over him, she couldn't even bare being in the same room as him.

The body language definitely made Serena think that it had to do something with Lacey. It just had to.

"Okay then," said Calem before grabbing the last helmet out of Serena's grasp and placing it on her head. "Since you guys are in your suits, and have all the padding you need, let's start off with one race!" he said in a loud voice. "According to May, you guys all have a secret, so last one to finish the race has to spill."

"MAY!" Dawn yelled out in anger.

"What?" May said. "I practically told you that I was going to get Calem to help me out."

Serena sighed. She didn't get why this was needed. No one was willing to talk, but surely, everyone was going to talk later. That's how it was. Everyone just needed time to recollect their thoughts before spilling their emotions.

"Serena," said Calem. "If you come in last place, I'll be very upset."

Serena rolled her eyes before buckling the clasp on her helmet. She then marched outside towards the racing area, and eyed the small racetrack. After the storm, Serena thought that the Rhyhorn lessons would be put on hold. She was sure that the track would be absolutely covered in the white flurry. She was wrong. The round track was spotless with piles of snow shoveled over to the side. The weather was pretty nice, so the workers must have shoveled the snow to the side to continue on with the lessons.

"Wrong one, squirt," said Calem before placing his hands on her shoulders and making her turn her body to the right.

Serena's jaw dropped upon looking at what her brother was pointing at. Instead of being round and relatively uniform, it started off on the top of a hill and down a slight slope to the very bottom. She couldn't even see the finish line since it seemed that the slope continued down pass a clearing of trees. Stationed at random intervals of the course were shallow mud pits. She seriously had no idea as to why there would be mud pits on a course. It seemed completely random to her.

"Are you serious?" asked Serena.

"Yep, I got the workers to clean it up the second I got May's call. It was supposed to be closed due to all the snow, but I managed to make it work in the end."

"Isn't this for advanced riders though?" asked Serena. "We're not advanced riders…"

"You're an advanced rider. You've been Rhyhorn racing plenty of times, and you're good enough to be a professional," he said. "Plus," He took a few steps forward to stand in front of the girls who were standing side by side. "I've worked with all of you before. I know you all have the skills to go through this track."

"But I never really worked with you before…" said Shauna with her hand up.

"You did when you were younger," said Calem, pointing out the friendship that Serena and her had before what happened. "And, you're Kalos Queen. I know for a fact, that you can do this."

"What makes you think that this race will get us to talk about what happened yesterday?" asked Dawn.

"Then it will be the usual."

"The usual?" asked Shauna.

Serena puffed out her cheeks before letting the air escape from her mouth. During spring or winter break, Dawn and May would always go to her house in Vaniville town. Neither of them would go to their home region since the break wasn't long enough for them to enjoy their stay. When Miette finished visiting her hometown, she would come by, and Calem just always happened to be there. They set up obstacles all the time, created their own games, and raced each other. The loser always had to complete some kind of punishment. It was usually harmless, but still bad enough to make you squirm.

"Yeah," said Calem. "Drink a disgusting concoction the other's make in the kitchen. That could be avoided though. Just talk out whatever problems you're having."

Serena looked down. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She wanted to avoid it. At least, for now.

"Disgusting concoction?" Shauna questioned. She looked a bit distant, almost like she wished that she didn't severe the friendship she had with Serena.

"You'll see, one day." Calem said before ushering the girls up the hill and behind a few bars. On top of the hill were several different stations for each racer on the track. There were already five Rhyhorn's waiting on standby with workers making sure that the saddles were correctly positioned.

"Anyways," Calem continued. "The race will start with the sound of a whistle. I'll be over there riding on my own Rhyhorn to make sure that no one is cheating." He pointed to his own separate Rhyhorn that was waiting for him by the track. He then grabbed a video camera from one of the workers who passed by him. "I'm also going to film this." He held the camera up.

"Why?" Serena asked.

"'Cause mom would love to see you race." He smiled widely before waving the five off and returning back down the small hill.

Serena groaned as her and the others positioned themselves on top of their own Rhyhorn's. As Serena readjusted herself in her seat, she bent down, feeling the tough exterior of the Rhyhorn's forehead. "We got this," she said while momentarily closing her eyes. She could easily sense the calmness of her Rhyhorn, and in return she felt at ease. She knew that she was going to be able to ride well with her chosen companion.

"I don't think I want to do this," said Dawn.

Serena turned her head to look at Dawn who was sitting atop a Rhyhorn who looked a little unsettled. It was slightly swaying from side to side, while jumping on the spot.

"I think yours is just revving to go." May laughed.

"I don't think-"

TWEEEEEEEET~!

Serena's vision immediately jolted straight ahead as Dawn's cries echoed through the slopes. The sudden amount of movement on the small slope caused a tremor in the earth's surface, causing a few clumps of snow to trickle down the hill or off the branches of the pine trees surrounding the area.

The honey blonde held tightly onto the lead ropes, making sure that her Rhyhorn wasn't going to slip on the icy surface. She had to make sure that her Rhyhorn had the proper footing and speed to get through this course without any kind of mistake. She didn't want to lose and drink something disgusting. She knew May and the others all too well. Even if she came in last and told them what was bothering her, they were still going to make her drink the wretched liquid they were going to create.

"AHHHHH!" Dawn yelled out in horror.

Serena blinked before looking to her left to see Dawn's Rhyhorn zooming right past her, nearing the mud pit in front of them. The bluenette held tightly onto the reigns, but was being moved around like she was on the back of an angry Tauros.

The honey blonde laughed along with the others as Dawn's Rhyhorn slid through the muddy pit with dollops of mud flying around. Dawn yelped as the mud splattered throughout her entire body.

Serena held her arm up, trying to block the incoming amount of mud flying her way. She could feel the wet globs hitting her arm as she tugged on the reigns to command her Rhyhorn to jump over the pit. Her companion happily obliged and immediately jumped up and into the air. Serena braced herself as she grabbed onto the reigns with both of her hands, hoping that she didn't make a bad move. Her Rhyhorn then landed on the ground with a loud thud, causing more clumps of snow to tumble down the hill.

"SERENA!" She could hear a few of the girls yelling out behind her.

Serena turned around for a brief second to see that her action caused her Rhyhorn to splash an enormous amount of mud on everyone. She giggled, but immediately began to feel the after affects of her move. Due to the icy surface on the course, Serena felt her Rhyhorn losing it's footing as it began to slide down the slope.

"It's okay," she whispered, rubbing her Rhyhorn's forehead, trying to calm it down.

Her eyes then opened widely as her Rhyhorn's feet slid into another mud pit. She didn't realize that the next pit was that close.

Serena sat back up as her Rhyhorn continued with sliding down the muddy area. She held one of her arms up to shield her eyes as she felt her Rhyhorn slowly get ahold of its footing. It then slowly started to continue onwards, and Serena sighed in relief as she continued on with the race.

She looked behind her at the others who all had a look of regret on their face. They just started sliding down the next mud pit, and Serena began to giggle at their widened eyes and mouths. She then looked forward and continued with guiding her Rhyhorn down the track.

She could feel the others closing in on her, but she didn't want her Rhyhorn to lose its footing again. Serena bent over, and looked straight ahead of her as she entered the clearing of trees. She could see another mud pit in front of her, and just a little ways from that was the finish line. She took a deep breath, getting her Rhyhorn to slightly increase its speed.

The galloping Rhyhorn entered the last shallow mud pit and Serena looked just beyond her, making sure that there was no hidden ice to make her Rhyhorn slip again. She continued forward, getting her Rhyhorn to decrease its speed as its muddy footprints exited the last muddy track. In one final burst, Serena and her Rhyhorn trudged onwards, being the firsts to cross the finish line.

"I knew you would be first, squirt," said Calem as Serena jumped off of her Rhyhorn to pet it. "I still don't get why you wouldn't be a Rhyhorn racer. You're so good at it now."

"You're the racer," said Serena before looking to her right at the girls who were all relatively close to each other in the race.

She could still hear the screams escaping from Dawn's mouth as she was the second one to cross the finish line. Behind her was Shauna, and then May, and finally, Miette.

"HAH!" said Dawn as she jumped off her Rhyhorn. "Miette has to spill first~!"

Serena looked up to her older brother as he slowly began to walk away from the other girls. "You did something to Miette, didn't you?" she asked as the other girls began to talk with one another.

"I didn't do anything," he said. "I just said the truth."

"The truth?"

"Look on the bright side, squirt. You don't have to drink anything disgusting."

Serena then watched her brother walk away with his Rhyhorn by his side.

* * *

The five of them sat by the fireplace, still wearing their soiled Rhyhorn coveralls. Their faces and hairstyles were a complete mess, but none of them cared as they sipped on their hot beverages while enjoying their tray of sweets.

"So you waited for him?" asked May.

"Yeah…" Miette looked down, not wanting to continue with explaining her feelings.

Serena took a bite of a graham cracker while looking at the heartbroken Miette. She's told her a million times that Calem was too old for her. That Calem just wasn't good enough for her. Her brother was a complete playboy. She deserved someone else.

Her suspicions were correct. While she was with Ash at the café, Calem must have gone back to his teaching area with Lacey, and Miette saw the two. Miette was tired and said more then she wanted. She called Lacey another ditzy girl for Calem to fool around with. Calem got angry, and told Miette that she was too young, and too inexperienced for him. Lacey didn't want to be caught up in the middle of the drama, so she left.

"I still think that you deserve someone else," said Serena.

"I guess," said Miette before taking a sip from her mug. "Enough about me though. Shauna is next."

"Wh-What?" The brunette almost choked on her cookie.

"It's your turn. It's only fair."

"But I think mine gets tangled up with Serena's problems…" said Shauna.

"Great," said Dawn. "Then I can go last."

Serena glared at the bluenette before looking over to Shauna. May or Miette didn't seem to care. May didn't have any problems, and Miette just finished with spilling out hers.

"You guys left me on the slopes with Alain yesterday," said Shauna.

"Yeah, how was it? Did you two make any progress?"

Shauna set her cookie back onto its plate. She then smacked her hands together, trying to rid of any crumbs that were clinging to her fingers. "It was fine. I guess. After leaving the slopes because of the snowstorm warning, we waited in the lobby for everyone else. And then you and Arnold came by." Shauna pointed to May. "Saying you were going to get us a table at the café to eat."

"Yeah, I remember that," said May. "And then Alain said that he wanted to wait for Serena and Ash because they should be done with their assignment."

Shauna nodded. "Well, I waited with him, but no one was coming. Alain started to get agitated, and I could tell that he was on edge. I just didn't know what to say to him. And then you and Arnold came back out, asking for Dawn and Gary."

May nodded again, remembering the events that happened.

"They weren't anywhere to be found, and then the snowstorm came, and we started looking for them, and asking for help from the workers…"

"Yeah…"

"When we went our separate ways, Alain was getting angry because Serena and Ash weren't back yet either. He was starting to get worried. And then he started to yell at me. He started to tell me that it was my fault. That if I weren't the one distracting him, he would have been able to watch Serena better… I mean I like him… and it just hurts to hear him say that he wants to watch you." She looked straight ahead at the honey blonde.

Serena looked down as the other girls turned to look at her.

"Did Alain find you?" asked May.

"Yeah," Serena mumbled after some time. "He did."

"What happened?"

"He… uhmm… he pretty much yelled at me too." She sighed.

"For the same thing?" asked Shauna.

"Yeah." Serena shrugged before tossing her graham cracker to the side. She then looked up to the rest of the girls. "He said you were some kind of distraction, so I could be closer to Ash." Serena closed her eyes for a second. "He also said that I belong with him and no one else…"

"Possessive much?" said Dawn. "What made him finally admit it?"

"…he walked in on me kissing Ash."

"WHAT!?" The girls around her gasped before leaning in close, waiting for more details.

"We were just waiting for our dinner. And then he found one of the notes we hid in our room." Serena looked at Miette.

"Oh yeah," said Miette. "Him and Gary have our old room, don't they?"

Serena simply nodded before Miette asked her which note it was.

"It was a really old one," said Serena. "I don't even remember writing it."

"What did it say?" asked Dawn, eager to know what the note said.

"That I would kiss him one day…"

"AND IT HAPPENED!" Dawn said, almost squealing. "So does that mean that you like him again? When did you even start liking him?"

"I don't know," Serena said before pushing Dawn's face away. The bluenette was so interested in her love life; she was inching in closer by the second. "He kissed me, and then Alain came barging in right away. It happened too fast. I don't know how I feel."

May sighed. "Wasn't it just four months ago when we were worrying about our first student council meeting?"

"Yeah," Dawn agreed. "Now we're worrying about boys. I'm not sure if I like it."

"You?" asked Serena. "You didn't even tell us about what happened with you."

"Well, since yours is the cherry on top, then I guess I could spill mine," said Dawn. "Gary kissed me when we were stuck in that cabin."

"WHAT!?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter Summary: Final Exams**

"Serena," said Ash. "I really need to talk to you."

"Huh?" Serena blinked, looking down to the hand that was gripping onto her wrist.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened in Snowbelle City…" he said. "Just let me explain."

* * *

 **NOTE:** So, this chapter was more or so setting up things for the next story. It was setting up, I suppose, other pairings for it. I still hope that you guys enjoyed it though.

 **As usual, leave a like, follow and/or, review ! :)**

 **I'd love to know what you guys are thinking!**


	21. Final Exams

**NOTE:** Hey guys, Next chapter. Woot Woot.

Onto a question!

 _ **Guest:**_ _...is there going to be a sequel to this story?..._

 **Yeah. It will be titled Kalos Academy: Rivalries & Firsts. :) You can visit my profile for a summary or go to my tumblr for updates revolving around the story. my tumblr is the same as my username here. :)**

 _ **Thanks to everyone who commented on the last one! - Guest, aliensinnoh, Daisy Pragnya, Q-A Authoress, Renegade Reviewer**_ (Yeah, the CavalierShipping seems kinda random, huh?) _**, Nexxus176, StreetRacer-Sam, gurkaran23, FantasyLover88. :)**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty One: Final Exams**

Serena looked down to the color-coated timetable in front of her. The horizontal column indicated the days while the vertical one indicated the time in hourly intervals. Each student in the Performer's program was given one regarding anything for the upcoming finals. The boxes highlighted in red signified an exam while the boxes highlighted in pink signified an evaluation. Everything else that was highlighted in yellow showed a review class, and those were usually mandatory.

She sighed, her mind feeling uneasy as she stared at all the colors. There was barely any white on the sheet. She threw her head back and groaned, raising her hands to massage her temples. They just got back from their long weekend, and they were already being bombarded with extra work. By the looks of it, she had four exams to complete and three evaluations. She wasn't worried about her exams though. They usually involved a lot of memorization, which was way better than something that involved critical analysis or solving equations. Those were the type of things that Clemont usually had to complete, and he wasn't even in school.

She shuffled a few of her papers to the side, eagerly searching for the schedule that contained the dates for any upcoming Showcases. The second she found it; she pulled it out from her folder and placed it in front of her. She pressed her index finger against the smooth surface, gliding it downwards as her eyes scanned the words on the sheet.

 _December 9: 10AM: Fleurrh City._

She frantically reached for her exam timetable, wondering if she was going to be able to participate in the show.

"December nine…" she muttered as she looked over to the sheet.

She scrunched her brows, seeing that she had an evaluation that day at the exact same time. She pursed her lips together, trying to prevent an angry squeal from escaping her mouth, but she ended up throwing her head back, and letting out another groan. With what happened during the Snowbelle Showcase, she was feeling like she was behind. She knew it was only her second Showcase, and she still had awhile until the Master Class, but she was revving for another win.

She cleared her throat and adjusted her blazer upon noticing a few other students eying her like she was some kind of crazy maniac. Serena smiled at the students who were sitting at the tables next to her before leaning over, trying to hide behind the small, confined walls of her cubicle.

"I guess I'll just have to wait until the exam period is over." She sighed before pulling out her phone to check the time.

She still had some time to kill before meeting up with Miette to prepare for their etiquette evaluation.

Serena slid her thumb across the touch screen and pressed on her photo album. She bit on her bottom lip as she stared at the last picture that was saved to her phone. It was during their trip in Snowbelle City. When they had their first meal at the café, Dawn asked a waitress to take a picture of them. They all crowded around the brown, upholstered couch and smiled widely at the camera.

Serena swiped her finger to the left to view more pictures. They took at least three to make sure that everyone was looking their best. All the pictures were fairly similar though. She turned the brightness up on her phone and began to inspect everyone's face. May was sitting on the armrest with Arnold awkwardly standing a few inches beside her. Arnold wasn't really a part of the group, so May threw her arm around him to make him feel like he was. May smiled brightly while Arnold had a look of shock on his face. It almost looked like May was about to give him a noogie. Standing behind the couch were Dawn, Gary, Alain, and Shauna. Dawn and Gary looked like they were competing for widest smile, while Alain had his arms crossed with a complete look of boredom on his face. Shauna had her shoulder brushing up against his arm and was leaning over the couch with a small smile on her face. On the opposite side, sitting on the other armrest was her brother Calem. He just somehow made it into the picture. If Serena remembered, he disappeared after she bumped into him in the lobby. The second they decided to capture their first memory together; he just somehow jumped in and made a peace sign with both of his hands.

Serena slightly shifted her gaze to the left to see Miette, her, and Ash sitting on the couch. Miette had her legs crossed, and instead of smiling, she had her usual 'I'm a supermodel' face. Serena had no clue as to why Miette always had a need to look like a supermodel. She kind of looked like Alain's twin in the photo.

Serena looked to the middle to inspect her facial expression. She just had her arms on her lap and was smiling sweetly. Nothing unusual there. She let herself linger over her image before deciding to look at Ash. It was strange not seeing Pikachu in the photo, but Serena remembered him saying that him and Pikachu weren't together as much as they were when they were kids. Besides, the little mouse like Pokémon was playing with the rest of their Pokémon at the play center. Serena slightly glanced up to look at Ash. He wasn't even looking at the camera. He had his head slightly turned to the right, his eyes glued to something beside him. Serena wanted to believe that he was distracted by May, or Dawn and Gary's usual bickering, but the longer she stared at the photo, she knew that he was staring at her.

Serena shook her head before placing her phone on the desk. She could feel her pulse quickening and her cheeks starting to burn. She picked up her phone again before sliding her finger to the right to inspect all the photos. He was staring at her in all of them.

She chewed on her bottom lip before gently throwing her phone across the desk, hearing a thump as it hit the back wall of the cubicle.

She found it so strange. They were only there for three days, and they came in like a great group of friends, looking forward to their long weekend. And then they left, divided from one another.

Ever since they returned to school, Serena's been trying to distract herself from what happened by drowning herself with all the exam info. When she returned to Professor Sycamore's class, Gary and Dawn weren't even bickering with one another. In fact, they couldn't even look at each other. Dawn made it seem like that kiss between her and Gary was nothing. She wouldn't even go in detail about it when it first came up. Dawn even said that she brushed her teeth and scrubbed her lips a billion times after that. But after seeing those two in class, Serena wasn't convinced that that kiss meant nothing. She caught Dawn staring at him a couple times with a faint blush on her face. She couldn't believe it at first since Gary was such a narcissistic jerk, but Serena never knew of their interactions when they went off to complete their own assignments. Maybe Dawn started to like him without realizing. Serena just had to watch them for the time being.

Ash was busy burying his nose into his book. She wasn't sure if he was trying to hide from her or if he was really studying. She had to assume the latter of the two. When they were at that café, he seemed like he was really focused on getting a good grade.

May seemed to be the only one who was her usual upbeat self. She even got a new friend out of it. Her and Arnold have gotten closer, and not in any kind of romantic way. Serena was pretty sure that Arnold was going to May for relationship advice about another girl in their class.

Miette and Shauna seemed to be keeping themselves busy as well. They were always smiling widely, but Serena could tell that they were having a hard time coming into terms with their broken hearts. Serena was so sure that Shauna would stop talking to her after that. It was her idea to try and pull her and Alain closer together. She really wanted to make sure that her and Shauna's friendship wouldn't break again that she completely lost insight of what Alain would want. And when she sat down to really think about it, Alain wasn't the type to move onto another girl so easily. Once he cared for someone, whether it is a friend or a significant other, he treasured him or her more than he treasured himself. Even if the way he portrayed it was drastic, he was genuinely a great guy and anyone would be lucky to have him around.

It was a shame that things took a turn after that trip. Serena wasn't even sure if she could depict it as a good turn or a bad one. She just knew that things were awkward and tangled right now. She hoped that the long exam period and the break would fix everything that's happened in the last week.

Serena stood up from her chair and tucked all of her belongings into her bag. She grabbed onto her phone, inspecting it for any kind of scratch before tucking it into the pocket of her blazer. She then comfortably fitted her bag around her shoulders, and tucked her chair back into the cubicle before walking around a few tables to get to the exit.

She sighed, thinking about Alain as she began walking through the narrow aisle that was created by the towering bookshelves. He was her best friend, and she wasn't acting like one. He wasn't acting like one either, but she still wanted to make up with him.

She took a turn, passing a couple of students who were sitting on the ground, already studying for their own finals. She grabbed onto the strap of her bag before briefly turning her head to her left, spotting a familiar face between the cracks on the shelf.

She stopped for a second, hiding behind the shelf as she saw Alain standing next to a table, placing some of his belongings on it. Serena took a step back and made a turn, ready to mend what was broken between the two, but she stopped as she saw another figure taking a seat at the table. It was Shauna.

Serena stepped back into her hiding spot before deciding to spy on the two.

"Look," Alain sighed after taking a seat next to Shauna. "I'm sorry for lashing out on you. It was wrong. I shouldn't have channeled all my anger towards you."

Shauna opened her mouth and blinked several times. She looked shocked, like she wasn't expecting any kind of apology from the guy who caused her heartache. "Oh…" she murmured, fumbling with one of the buttons on her blazer. "It's no big deal… you were angry…" she said after some time. "I would have done the same if I was angry."

"That doesn't mean that it was right," he said before looking her straight in the eye. "I know that you've been trying so hard to get on good terms with me, and I've been brushing you off like an annoying bug. I never meant to." He sighed. "I just-"

"Really like Serena, right?" she said with a faint smile on her face.

He hesitated for a moment, but simply nodded his head. "But now I lost her as a friend."

"I don't think so," said Shauna, placing a hand on his arm. She then quickly pulled away and began to fumble with her buttons again. "Friends fight. I mean, I was fighting with her for years…"

"I guess." He sighed. "But she was right. I'm a mess. I'm a Champion, and I haven't been acting like one. I want to apologize to her, but I don't… I don't want to do it until I can show her that I'm doing better."

"Doing better?" Shauna questioned.

"I would like your help, Shauna…" he said uncomfortably. He then lifted one of the textbooks he placed on his desk. "I can't be her friend again if I can't be my own friend… I need help with preparing for my battles with the Elite Four and Diantha."

Shauna smiled, but still had a look of shock on her face. "I would love to help you, but why are you asking me for help…?"

"Because Serena really wanted the two of us to be friends again." He hesitated for a moment. "And she needs to see that I'm actually trying. Not just because she asked me to, but also because I need to. Because I want to."

Serena took a step back before deciding to quietly walk away. She smiled, feeling as if things were slowly starting to get fixed. So maybe Alain didn't like Shauna, but there was nothing wrong with still wanting the two of them to be together. Maybe he would end up liking Shauna, and the two could be together. It was just going to take time.

Serena smiled wider, knowing that her friend was going to return to the dorms with a wide smile on her face. She lifted her hand to her mouth, intending to hide the wide smile that was replacing her current facial expression.

As she lifted her arm, she bumped into a student that was entering the library.

"I'm so sorry," she said, turning around to apologize.

"It's fine. It happens."

She looked up to see that the person she bumped into was Ash.

Serena gulped, trying to play it off as if she didn't notice him. "Okay," she murmured, feeling her heart pounding through her chest. She kept her eyes glued to the buttons on his blazer before turning around, intending to exit the library.

"Serena," he said. "I really need to talk to you."

The honey blonde gulped before stoically exiting the library. She could hear him calling out to her, but she just wasn't ready to face him. She didn't know what to say, what to do. It was all too much for her to handle.

"Serena."

"Huh?" Serena stopped in her tracks as she felt a hand gripping onto her wrist. She slightly turned her body, looking down to see his hand on her.

Serena took a step back, her mind ready to mentally explode. He was touching her and it was driving her crazy. After all that transpired, that was all that she could currently think about. She shook her head, trying to shake away her thoughts before slowly glancing up to look at him.

He had a look of sorrow on his face. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened in Snowbelle City," he said. "Just let me explain." He let go of her wrist, allowing it to fall against her side. "Please?"

Serena's lips trembled as she opened her mouth to say yes. She then nodded at him and pointed to one of the few, cemented tables that were sporadically placed around the library.

"Great." He smiled as Serena followed him to a table located by the exit.

The honey blonde removed her backpack from her shoulders and placed it on the ground beside her. She then slightly lifted her phone from her pocket to check the time. She had ten minutes until she had to meet Miette.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" he asked after placing his own backpack on the table.

"I have to meet Miette soon," she answered. "We're going to study…"

"Right," he said, tight-lipped. "I guess I should make this quick then."

Serena simply nodded as she placed her hands on her lap. She then hunched over to stretch her back. She barely had her bag on for five minutes and she was already feeling the after affects of it being so heavy.

"I fixed up our assignment and handed it to Professor Sycamore. You don't have to worry about it," he said after a minute of silence.

Serena sort of forgot about that assignment. She thought her Pokémon grabbed it, but maybe Ash grabbed onto her notes while she was having her quarrel with Alain.

"You seemed to have been going through a lot," he said awkwardly. "So I decided to fix up the assignment and make it presentable. It didn't take me a long time to do it, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Thanks," she said. "Is that all that you wanted to talk about?" She pursed her lips together, trying to hide the need to start some breathing exercises.

"No," he said before looking down. "I wanted to apologize for kissing you… I didn't mean to…" He then reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be the note that caused him to kiss her in the first place. He extended his arm, handing it back to her. "I didn't mean to read it," he said as Serena grabbed it. "I heard Alain getting violent and I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. I stood up and I stepped on it and without realizing, I looked down and saw it…"

Serena took a deep breath before opening the note to see Ash's footprint on it. "It's okay," she said. "It was an old note. It's not a big deal."

"It's not?" he asked, almost looking hurt.

"I-" Serena stopped, trying to read his expression. She felt like Ash liked her, but if he did, why would he say that he didn't mean to kiss her?

She took a deep breath, deciding to come clean. "I wrote it a long time ago," she said. "I… uhm… I had a huge crush on you when we were kids." She felt her heart thumping like it was about to break her entire body. At the same time though, she was slowly starting to feel relieved. "It started when you first helped me in the woods at Professor's Oak's summer camp."

"Really?" He perked up.

"Yeah," she admitted. "But then I came back here to Kalos and didn't think much about it, until you came here to participate in the league. My feelings for you returned right away. But then you lost, and you were so eager to try out the league in Alola. It... uhm… made me really sad to be gone from you again."

"Oh, I didn't mean to-"

"No, I get it. You were chasing your dreams. I was just a little girl who had a huge crush. It's not a big deal," she said. "I just realized that you were so focused on your dreams, that it was foolish of me to chase after some boy instead of my own dreams. So, I started to focus on myself."

"So." He looked a bit confused now. "You don't have a crush on me anymore?"

"No, I still liked you, a lot." Serena began to ramble. She was admitting more than she wanted. "But I didn't want to, so I ended up with Alain."

"That's why you dated Alain?"

"It was wrong of me to, but I was young and stupid. But it did help me, and I stopped liking you. Plus, Alain became a really good friend of mine, so things turned out well."

"So… you don't like me," he stated.

"I- uhm…" She looked away. "I don't know, Ash. I think I'll always like you more than a friend. But, I tried so hard to get over you. It feels weird to revert back to how I felt when I was ten."

"Well, I… I like you Serena. More than a friend."

Serena bit on her bottom lip, not wanting to look at him. She kept her gaze down at the sidewalk. He just said that he liked her. More than a friend. As in romantically, yet she wasn't feeling as happy as she thought she would be.

"I don't really know how it happened, but everyone I met in Alola seemed to have someone special in their life," he continued. "They were always asking about my love life, but I never really understood. Until one day, you popped up into my mind. And then it wouldn't stop. And I liked it."

Serena took a deep breath before slowly turning to face him again. "I never thought that you would develop feelings for me while I was trying so hard to get over you."

"Uhh… yeah…" he said shyly, reaching to rub his nape. "It's weird, isn't it?"

She simply nodded her head, and the two sat there in silence.

"So, what should we do about it?" He looked to her with hope. He reached out, about to grab her hand, but stopped himself, and instead fumbled with his fingers.

"I don't know," she said. "I've imagined this moment a thousand times in my head, but I'm not as happy as I thought I would be. Maybe it's because all my work to get over you suddenly went to waste." She held her hands out in front of her defensively. "Not like I don't like being your friend or anything. It's just… it hurt when you left… and I don't want to be hurt again. You're important in Alola. You could easily be gone by next semester."

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "Then I don't mind being friends if that's what you want."

"But I don't want you liking anyone else," she blurted out before covering her mouth with her hands.

Ash chuckled. "I won't," he said. "But, can I… at least take you out on a date? My friends in Alola said it's what you do when you like someone. I wanted to experience one with you."

"Being alone on the mountains, wasn't enough?" she joked, still feeling uncomfortable by her random word vomit. At this point, she was just saying anything. She already admitted her past feelings towards him.

"No," he said. "It wasn't a date. It was just an assignment."

Serena shifted her gaze to the left, Calem coming into her mind. This whole time, her brother had her convinced that it was a date, and it wasn't.

"A date is harmless, right?" he asked. "I won't make any moves on you. It will just be two friends hanging out together." He smiled widely. He seemed so eager to take her out.

"I guess," she said. She never really thought that a date would be important to Ash. It was all so weird.

"How about this then," he said. "If we both pass all our exams with an A, I'll be able to take you out. It's a harmless bet. And you don't have to worry about saying yes or no. It's all up to the results."

"Uhm… okay…" She decided to agree, despite her last agreement turning out horribly because of Dawn.

"Great," he said, extending his arm to shake her hand. "It's a bet. And no purposely failing your exams."

Serena smiled. "I wouldn't do that. My grades are far more important than a date."

"I'll see you at the end of the exam period then. Study hard." He grabbed onto his bag and stood up from his seat.

"You too." Serena smiled as she watched him enter the library.

Serena knew that she was going to be able to get A's on all her exams. Everything was relatively easy this year. She wasn't sure if Ash was going to be able to though. Deep down, she really wished that he would.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Summary: A Wonderful Semester**

"Hey! It's been awhile," said Ash. "It feels like it's been a year."

Serena smiled. "It always feels that way when its exam time."

"So, shall we get to it then?" He lifted his envelope and pointed to hers.

* * *

 **NOTE:** Next chapter will be the last one! I also have a couple one-shots planned around the series, so look forward to those if you'd like. It doesn't really focus on amourshipping though so its up to you if you want to read it. :) I'll post a description on my profile when I can.

 **As usual, leave a like, follow, and/or a review! :)**

 **I like to hear your thoughts!**


	22. A Wonderful Semester

**Chapter Twenty-Two: A Wonderful Semester**

Today was the day. No more studying. No more exams. No more stress. Today marked the very last day of Kalos Academy's first co-ed semester, and the very first day of this year's winter semester break.

Serena nodded at a few of her fellow classmates as she continued her walk down the hall, towards Palermo's office to receive her report card.

"Good luck Serena," a Performer in her first year nodded at the honey blonde who placed her hand on the handle leading to Palermo's waiting room.

Serena smiled at the first year student and wished her the same thing. She then twisted the knob and stepped into the waiting room to find at least a dozen other students crowding around the front desk, waiting to receive their sealed envelopes from Miss Anderson.

Serena pursed her lips before marching forward to join the others. She's never felt so eager to view her grades before. Whenever their final grades came rolling out, Serena would pretty much wait in her dorm room until she was sure that every student was done getting theirs. She didn't want to deal with the hassle and the large crowds. She was always pretty confident in her marks anyway. She didn't always have the perfect grades, but she did well enough, and that was good enough for her.

This semester was different though. Instead of waiting in her room watching TV or sewing a new outfit, Serena was joining the other eager performers who were dying to see their grades. She's never studied so hard since she first attended the academy. She was anticipating a report card with all A's.

"Single file, please!" Miss Anderson snapped at the students who were crowding around her desk.

Serena sighed as she mentally counted how many people were in the office. It was probably going to be a fifteen minute wait.

"Serena!"

The honey blonde whipped around to find Miette standing by the door, her report card already in her hand. By the looks of it, she already tore the top part of the envelope and viewed her grades.

"You already got your report card?" Serena asked, turning her attention to the bluenette. She stepped out of her place in line, not caring about her increase in waiting time. In a couple minutes, the line was going to be one big blob again anyways.

"Yeah." She nodded before pulling out another envelope from inside her blazer. "And this one is yours."

"What?" Serena asked, wide eyed. She grabbed the envelope and pressed a finger against her name. "Don't you need my ID to get that?"

Miette shrugged her shoulders. "I have my ways," she said before showing her another envelope with Shauna's name on it. "It beats waiting in line while Miss Anderson sorts through a bunch of files." The bluenette looked back to the assistant who was having a hard time finding the next student's report card. "She seriously needs to work on her organization." She looked back to the honey blonde. "I'm gonna go look for Shauna. Wanna join me?"

"No," said Serena, her cheeks starting to burn. She got what she needed. Now she had to go see Ash. "I'm going to reflect on my grades."

"Right," said Miette, unconvinced. "Because this has nothing to do with Ash."

"It-It doesn't!"

Miette laughed. "Whatever floats your boat," she said. "I'll see you later."

Serena groaned before shortly exiting the room after Miette. She walked down the corridor, eager to open up her report card. She didn't want to though. She was scared of seeing a single B on her card. During her study period, she constantly told herself that it didn't matter. She wanted to get A's for herself, and only herself, but whenever she scrolled through the pictures on her phone, she would find Ash's face amongst the many others, and she really wanted to get those A's because of him.

Serena pushed on the door, and exited the building. She stopped at the bottom of the small plight of stairs, and looked down at the envelope.

"Eager to open it, huh?"

Serena raised her head and turned to her left to see Ash standing by the railings.

"A-Ash?" Serena said his name quietly. She wasn't expecting to see him so soon. It felt like it's been ages, despite it only being a couple weeks. "What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you," he said with a smile before walking over to her. He pulled out his report card from the front pocket of his bag and waved it front of him. "I didn't open mine yet either."

"I guess we should open them up," said Serena.

"How about we open up each other's?" he suggested.

"Uhm…" Serena looked down to her envelope. "Okay," she agreed. She had nothing to lose… other than a date.

The two traded envelopes simultaneously and Serena flipped over his envelope to look at the seal that was keeping it closed. She placed a finger against the seal that contained a picture of their school crest - Xerneas. She then glanced up to see Ash already tearing the seal away from its place. She bit her bottom lip and followed his actions. She then pulled the slip of paper from the envelope and unfolded it. She shifted her gaze to the right, her eyes focused on the uppercase letters that were printed in each separate box.

 _"_ _A… A… A…_ " Serena's heart began to pound faster as she continued down the page. _"A…A…"_ She gulped hard as she mentally read the last grade in the last box. _"He got all A's."_

"Straight A's, Serena," said Ash, capturing her attention by waving the results in front of her.

Serena looked up and grabbed her report from his grip to inspect all of her grades. "Wow," she muttered underneath her breath.

 _"_ _I get to go on a date… with Ash…"_ she thought to herself.

"So, what did I get?" he asked, curiosity plastered on his face.

"Oh… uhm…" Serena's hand trembled as she handed the report to him. "You got all A's too."

"Really?" He glanced down at his report to check his grades for himself. "I never thought that I would."

"You did say that you were really motivated to become an even better Pokémon Master."

Ash chuckled. "I did, but I was sort of more motivated because of you. I really wanted to take you out."

Serena never thought that Ash would be motivated by anything else other than Pokémon. There was still a part of her that felt like some chip was implanted into his body, causing him to know about the feelings of love.

"Hey," said Ash. "There's an amusement park in Lumiose City. Did you want to go there?"

"You wanted to take me out today?"

"Yeah. Did you think I meant some other day?"

"No… It's just…" Serena found herself instinctively reaching up for something that hasn't been there for years.

"C'mon," he said, reaching for her hand. "I bet it will be fun. It's always a great way to end off the semester."

"What's a good way to end off the semester?" A voice called out.

Serena turned her head to see May and Dawn walking her way. Feeling shy, she pulled her hand away from Ash's grasp and turned her attention to the two Coordinators.

"Are you two talking about the amusement park in Lumiose?" asked May.

"I hope you thought about inviting the both of us," said Dawn, pouting.

"Well, actually, I-" Ash tried, but was interrupted by Dawn once more.

"I'll call the others! We should all go to the amusement park!"

"Sounds like a plan," said May. "I'll call Arnold. Maybe he would like to come. He can bring the girl he likes too." She smiled widely before pulling out her cell phone.

"You're okay with Alain being there right?" asked Dawn, pulling Serena away from Ash.

"Of… Of course I am." She smiled.

If this were any other the day, the girls would force her and Ash to go out alone. It wasn't any other day though. It was the first day after the ridiculous exam period. Serena knew that all of her friends just wanted to get out and refresh their minds.

* * *

Serena grabbed a piece of cotton candy from her bag and let the fluffiness melt into her taste buds. She took a deep breath as she sat on a wooden bench, away from the loud crowd that was enjoying the many activities to do at the park. She looked straight ahead at a few fallen leaves that were floating atop the small pond in front of her. She watched as a few kids reached over the water, trying to grab the leaves that were floating towards the center. She smiled before glancing up at a few others that were gathered at the other side of the pond. She enjoyed going to lively places, but in the end, she preferred quieter ones.

"Can I join you?"

Serena looked to her left to see Ash standing by the bench. She simply smiled and nodded at him before savoring the sweet taste in her mouth. As he sat next to her, Serena extended her arm, offering him the treat that Dawn gave to her.

"Thanks," he said, ripping off a small part and putting it into his mouth.

"I'm sorry that our date got ruined," said Serena while looking at the kids that were getting their clothes soiled.

"It's fine," he said. "We can do it some other time, right?"

"Right…" Serena whispered, the pace of her heart quickening. She now had an actual date to look forward to with the raven-haired champion. "I'll… be looking forward to it."

"Me too."

Serena pursed her lips before stuffing the remainder of cotton candy into her mouth. She then discarded her empty bag into the garbage bin beside her. "We should go back," said Serena. "Dawn and May really want to ride the rollercoaster." She stood up from the bench and turned her body to join the others. Serena then felt Ash's hand on her wrist, and she immediately turned around to look at him.

"What is it?" she asked as she watched him stand from the bench.

"Serena," he said in a serious tone. "I know that you're confused about your feelings towards me. But, I just wanted you to know that I'm determined to make you feel the way you did when we were kids." He leaned in, gently pressing his lips against her cheek.

Serena blushed as he pulled away. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her mind couldn't formulate any kind of response. He just kissed her again.

"Are you two not coming?! It's almost our turn in line!" Dawn yelled out. "Hurry up and finish your cotton candy!"

"Yeah," Miette followed. "Dawn also has some news regarding Ga-"

"I do not!"

Serena turned around to see Dawn's hand cupped around Miette's mouth. She giggled as she watched the performer struggle in the arms of the coordinator.

"We're coming," Serena yelled out.

She turned back and smiled at Ash before deciding to sprint over to the duo in front of her.

Despite everything that's transpired in the last few months, Serena felt that the addition of boys to the academy was actually a good thing. Things were different, but not in a bad way. She was looking forward to the many months ahead of her.

* * *

 **Kalos Academy: Rivalries & Firsts:** AU. Sequel. Students from Kanto and Alola come to Kalos Academy to participate in the yearly event - "Unity of the Seven". Rivalries & games ensue. And after all these years, Serena finally gets the boy. But, not everything is smooth sailing from there.

* * *

 **Thanks guys. We reached the end of this story! :) Yeah, there are a lot of things that I should work on, and one of them is to keep notes ( & better planning)! haha. I keep notes, but I constantly find myself forgetting minor details that are actually important. Anywho, I'll be working on planning the next story (aside from my other billion stories), so it might be awhile until you see the next story.**

 **The next one will involve more battles and such, and hopefully the content and writing get better. :) I'll definitely plan the next one better than this one.**

 **xoxo, Gossip Girl.**

 **LMAO jk. - xSooIntense. :D**


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